‘I WAS TOLD, WHY FEAR? THE TERRORISTS WILL DEFEND YOU’

Sharif Shaikh, 44, Mumbai Has represented terror suspects in the Gateway-Zaveri Bazar blasts; 11/7 serial train blasts; and the Ghatkopar bus blast of 2002

Sharif Shaikh is never alone. He commutes with colleagues. Even on his after-lunch stroll, he takes at least two others along. “I used to enjoy my independence, but this is what my life is like now,” he says.

Shaikh began practice as a criminal defence lawyer in 2001. A year later, a bomb exploded on a bus in Ghatkopar, killing two and injuring 50. Among the eight arrested was Arif Paanwalla. His brothers, who knew Shaikh, were desperate. “They asked if I could help,” he remembers.

The charges hinged on the testimony of one witness, the conductor of the BEST bus, and took an about-turn when that witness turned hostile. All eight suspects in that case were acquitted by mid-2005.

Since then, Shaikh has taken on over 20 terror cases. Four of his clients have been acquitted; two convicted. The rest of the cases are ongoing. His public image, though, has been tarnished by his work.

“At a friend’s son’s wedding, I was asked by a relative, ‘Why did you undo the hard work of the police?’ I explained that many times my work exposed flaws in the investigation, and at least he heard me out.”

The attitude of the government has not been too helpful. “When I first started getting threats in 2014, I applied for a gun licence. My application was rejected. I went to a state minister to appeal and he mocked me, saying, ‘Why do you need a gun when terrorists will defend you?’.”