K. M. Nanavati Biography 
K. M. Nanavati was a Parsi commander with the Indian Navy from Maharashtra who was the main convict of the infamous K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra case of 1959. He was tried and later given a life sentence for killing his wife’s lover, Prem Ahuja. A sensational case of Indian judiciary in the late 1950s and afterwards, the plot has inspired several books and Bollywood films too. Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke, a 1963 suspense thriller, starring Sunil Dutt, Leela Naidu and Rehman is the first movie based on this true incident. Latest buzz is that Akshay Kumar’s upcoming flick, Rustom produced by Neeraj Pandey is inspired from this incident. The movie is slated to get release in August 2016.
Kawas Manekshaw Nanavati, shortly called K. M. Nanavati was a commander with the Indian Navy. He was born in 1925. He has worked as Defence Attaché to V. K. Krishna Menon. He settled with his wife Sylvia, an English woman and three kids in Mumbai. Due to his job assignments, Nanavati was frequently away from his home. By this time his wife Sylvia grew close to his friend, Prem Ahuja, a member of a Sind family. When Sylvia asked him to marry her, his real colours came out and he turned to be a playboy who saw her only among many women with whom he had a relationship with.
On 27 April 1959, when Nanavati returned home after an assignment, Sylvia confessed about the affair to her husband. Nanavati dropped his family at the Metro Cinema, and returned back to the naval base where he collected his pistol and filled it with 6 cartridges. He proceeded to Prem Ahuja's office, and for not finding him there, he moved to Ahuja’s flat and shot him dead. Ahuja was wearing a towel, and he came just out of his bathroom when he was shot dead. Nanavati headed straight to confess to the Provost Marshal of the Western Naval Command, and surrendered before Deputy Commissioner of Police.
The crux of the case was whether it was a premeditated murder or a sudden provocation. The sensational news created great headlines, and even Ahuja Towels and toy Nanavati Revolvers were sold on the street. Public and tabloids openly supported Nanavati. The case was the last to be heard as a jury trial in India and later he was given life imprisonment for culpable homicide amounting to murder. Supreme Court of India upheld the conviction on 24 November 1961. After three years in prison, Prem's sister Mamie Ahuja gave her assent for his pardon in writing. Following the release, the family moved to Canada permanently. Nanavati died in 2003.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 19, 2016
