Mumbai: Famously having represented Bollywood Badshah Shahrukh Khan to underworld don – Iqbal Mirchi, Haji Mastan, to Dawood Ibrahim’s sibings, advocate Shyam Keshwani breathed his last on Thursday afternoon. Keshwani had been a patient of Alzheimer and later cancer. Hence he had withdrawn himself from the active legal practice since few years. He is survived by his wife Nadira and son Changez.
Born in Sindh in 1942, before partition, Keshwani was the seventh generation in the lagal practice. He completed his law college from Govemnment law college in 1972 and was trained under former late minister of law and Judiciary Ram Jethmalani. Keshwani is said to be one of the pioneer lawyer when the narcotic drug and psychotropic substance (NDPS) act, 1985 came into force.
Keshwani had represented superstar Salman Khan’s father writer Salim Khan in the case where he was booked for keeping endangered animal in captivity at his farmhouse in Panvel in 1998. Keshwani represented Khan to get anticipatory bail from the Bombay High court.
Besides, He also had represented Bollywood king Shahrukh Khan in 1997 before the Aurangabad bench of Bombay high court when a woman allegedly claimed to be his mother. The woman had moved a plea saying Khan was born at Kopdeo Hipparga and his name was Allasaheb Pathan and the actor was missing since childhood.
Besides, the celebrities, Keshwani's client list included all the leading underworld gangsters who had their names involved in smuggling rackets which included Iqbal Mirchi, Haji Mastan and also Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar and sister Haseena Parkar.
"He was one of the first few lawyers who ventured into the field of NDPS cases in 1990s. Lot of juniors florished under him and he was a go to person for anyone. His doors were always open to help and guide any junior even if he was not from his chamber," said Ayaz Khan, a leading lawyer in the field of cases related to narcotic substance.
Abad Ponda, designated senior counsel said, "He was a magnificent human being and a good lawyer. A man of a few words but impressive in his arguments, Keshwani encouraged all juniors. He was a good friend and an elder brother who would be missed forever."
Apart from being known for his legal achievement he was known for his biryani, which he would cook for lawyers every year. "He would decide a day and inform all the lawyers in bar room. The lawyers would wait for the day and enjoy meal cooked by him specially chicken and mutton biryani every year," said Mithilesh Mishra who was his junior before he withdrew from work.
