Mumbai: Bringing an end to one of Maharashtra's longest-running and most politically sensitive criminal cases, a special CBI court in Mumbai on Saturday acquitted all eight accused in the 2006 murder case of senior Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver Samad Abdul Wahid Kazi, citing lack of evidence.
Among those acquitted was former Maharashtra Home Minister and former NCP MP Padamsinh Patil, 86, who was accused by the CBI of being the alleged mastermind behind the killings.
Patil, who is also Nimbalkar's first cousin, appeared before the court in a wheelchair and was accompanied by a hospital attendant.
The verdict marks the conclusion of a legal battle that continued for nearly two decades and remained under public scrutiny due to the political stature of those involved, the family rivalry at its centre, and allegations of a contract killing linked to cooperative-sector politics in the Dharashiv (formerly Osmanabad) region.
Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver were shot dead on June 3, 2006, after their vehicle was intercepted by assailants in Navi Mumbai. The attackers allegedly stopped the car on the pretext of conducting an inquiry before opening fire, killing both of them on the spot.
At the time of his death, Nimbalkar was a prominent Congress leader and a sitting MLA who had held several key positions in Maharashtra politics. The CBI later described the murder as a pre-planned contract killing and alleged that it was carried out as part of a larger criminal conspiracy.
The investigation was initially conducted by the Navi Mumbai Police. However, amid allegations that the probe was being suppressed, Nimbalkar's widow, Anandibai Nimbalkar, approached the Bombay High Court, which later transferred the case to the CBI.
According to the agency's investigation, the murder was linked to an intense political and personal rivalry between Nimbalkar and Padamsinh Patil. Despite being first cousins, the two leaders had become bitter political rivals.
Their rivalry intensified during the 2004 Maharashtra Assembly elections, when Nimbalkar contested against Patil and lost by a narrow margin of just 484 votes.
The feud also extended to the cooperative sector, particularly the influential Terna Sugar Cooperative Factory, where both leaders competed for control and influence.
The CBI further alleged that Nimbalkar had exposed financial irregularities allegedly linked to Patil and had provided information to anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare. Investigators had also claimed that Hazare's name appeared on a list of potential targets allegedly prepared by the conspirators.
The prosecution's case largely relied on the testimony of accused-turned-approver Parasmal Jain, who claimed to have revealed details of how the alleged conspiracy was planned. The agency alleged that a contract amount of Rs 25-35 lakh was paid for eliminating Nimbalkar.
Patil was arrested by the CBI in June 2009 and was later granted bail by the Alibaug Sessions Court in September the same year.
Despite the serious allegations and years of legal proceedings, the court ultimately ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted all eight accused.
Present in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered was Nimbalkar's son, Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, currently a rebel Lok Sabha MP associated with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction.
The acquittal of all eight accused brings the curtain down on a case that, for nearly two decades, remained a symbol of the intersection of political rivalry, family disputes, and the criminal justice system in Maharashtra.
With IANS inputs