CBI court acquits all accused in Pawanraje Nimbalkar murder case after 20 years

Bringing an end to one of Maharashtras longestrunning and politically significant criminal cases a special CBI court in Mumbai on Saturday acquitted all eight accused in the 2006 murder of senior Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver Samad Abdul Wahid Kazi reported the news agenciesThe court cited lack of evidence and held that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt as per PTIAmong those acquitted was former Maharashtra Home Minister and exNCP MP Padamsinh Patil who had been named by the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI as the alleged main conspirator in the case reported the news agencyPatil now 86 arrived at the court in a wheelchair accompanied by a hospital attendant reported IANSThe verdict brings to a close a legal battle that lasted nearly 20 years and attracted widespread attention due to the political influence of those involved and the family rivalry at the centre of the caseMurder that shook Maharashtra politicsPawanraje Nimbalkar a senior Congress leader and sitting MLA at the time was shot dead along with his driver on June 3 2006 According to investigators the attackers intercepted their vehicle in Navi Mumbai on the pretext of seeking information before opening fire Both men died at the scene as per news sourcesThe CBI later described the killings as a planned contract murder carried out as part of a larger conspiracyPolitical rivalry under scrutinyThe agency alleged that the murder was linked to a longstanding political and personal feud between Nimbalkar and Padamsinh Patil who were first cousinsTheir rivalry reportedly intensified during the 2004 Maharashtra Assembly elections when Nimbalkar contested against Patil and lost by just 484 votes reported IANSInvestigators also pointed to differences over control of the influential Terna Sugar Cooperative Factory in Dharashiv district where both leaders had significant political interestsHow the CBI got involvedThe case was initially investigated by the Navi Mumbai Police However Nimbalkars widow Anandibai Nimbalkar approached the Bombay High Court alleging that the investigation was not progressing properlyThe High Court later transferred the case to the CBI as per reportsThe agency alleged that a contract worth Rs 2535 lakh had been given to eliminate Nimbalkar A key part of the prosecutions case was based on the testimony of an accusedturnedapprover Parasmal Jain who claimed to have knowledge of the alleged conspiracyThe CBI had also alleged that Nimbalkar had exposed financial irregularities linked to Patil and shared information with anticorruption activist Anna HazarePadamsinh Patil was arrested by the CBI in June 2009 and was granted bail later that year reported IANSDespite years of investigation and court proceedings the special CBI court concluded that the evidence presented was insufficient to establish the charges against the accusedAll eight accused were acquittedAmong those present in court during the pronouncement of the verdict was Nimbalkars son Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar currently a Lok Sabha MP associated with the Shiv Sena UBT reported news agenciesThe judgment closes a case that for nearly two decades remained one of Maharashtras most closely watched political murder trialsWith IANS and PTI Inputs