A special CBI court in Mumbai on Saturday acquitted all accused in the 2006 murder of former Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver Samad Abdul Wahid Kazi, bringing an end to one of Maharashtra’s longest-running criminal trials.
The court cleared former Maharashtra Home Minister and ex-NCP leader Padamsinh Patil along with the other accused after concluding that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges with sufficient evidence.
The case stemmed from the killing of Nimbalkar and Kazi on June 3, 2006, in Navi Mumbai’s Kalamboli area. According to investigators, the two were shot dead after assailants intercepted their vehicle and opened fire.
The probe was initially handled by Navi Mumbai Police before being transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation following a petition filed by Nimbalkar’s widow, Anandibai Nimbalkar, before the Bombay High Court.
Padamsinh Patil, who was named by the CBI as a key conspirator in the case, appeared before the court on Saturday. The 86-year-old former minister arrived in a wheelchair accompanied by a hospital attendant.
Maharashtra govt says acquittal will be challenged
Speaking after the verdict, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the state leadership had taken up the matter with the Centre.
According to Shinde, he and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis discussed the judgment with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who subsequently directed the CBI to challenge the acquittal before a higher court.
CBI alleged political rivalry behind murder
During the investigation, the CBI alleged that the murders were the result of a larger conspiracy linked to a long-standing political and personal rivalry between Nimbalkar and Patil, who were first cousins.
The agency claimed tensions between the two leaders had intensified after the 2004 Maharashtra Assembly election, in which Nimbalkar contested against Patil and lost by a narrow margin.
Investigators said the dispute was not limited to politics. According to the CBI, both leaders were also at odds over influence in the cooperative sector, including the Terna Sugar Cooperative Factory in Dharashiv.
Prosecution relied on approver’s testimony
The prosecution’s case was largely built around the testimony of Parasmal Jain, an accused who later turned approver.
The CBI had alleged that a contract worth Rs 25 lakh to Rs 35 lakh was arranged to eliminate Nimbalkar. It also claimed that Nimbalkar had exposed alleged financial irregularities linked to Patil and had shared information with anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare.
Patil was arrested by the CBI in June 2009 and was granted bail later that year by the Alibaug Sessions Court.
Present in court during the pronouncement of the verdict was Nimbalkar’s son, Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, a Lok Sabha MP associated with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction.