Congress Leader's 2006 Murder: All Accused Acquitted After 20-Year Trial

A special court in Mumbai on Saturday acquitted all the accused in the 2006 murder case of Maharashtra Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar. Nimbalkar, 41, and his driver, Samad Kazi, were shot dead on June 3, 2006, while travelling from Mumbai to Osmanabad (now Dharashiv). The incident occurred at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai when two hitmen intercepted their car.

The trial, which lasted over 20 years, examined 128 witnesses. The accused included Nimbalkar's cousin and former NCP MP Padamsinh Patil, now 86, who was a former state home minister. Other accused were Latur-based businessman Satish Mandade, former BJP corporator and retired state excise inspector Mohan Shukla, Parasmal Jain, former excise inspector Shashikant Kulkarni, BSP worker Kailash Yadav, and alleged shooters Dinesh Tiwari, Pintu Singh, and Chote Pandey.

Parasmal Jain, who initially accepted a contract of Rs 30 lakh to kill Nimbalkar, was later granted a pardon and turned approver. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case after Nimbalkar's family approached the Bombay High Court, dissatisfied with the initial police investigation. In 2009, the CBI filed a chargesheet naming Padamsinh Patil as the prime accused and alleged conspirator, citing political rivalry as the motive. Patil was arrested in June 2009 but granted bail in September that year.

The trial began in July 2011 before a Special CBI Court presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Satyanaryan Navandar. Among the witnesses was anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, who testified that Patil had also threatened him. The court had earlier deferred the verdict but finally pronounced it on June 20, acquitting all accused.

Pawanraje Nimbalkar was a prominent Congress leader from Osmanabad district, seen as a rising challenger to Padamsinh Patil's political dominance. He had previously held positions in cooperative institutions, including the Terna Sugar Factory and the Osmanabad District Central Cooperative Bank, with Patil's initial support. Relations between the two leaders deteriorated as Nimbalkar's influence grew, leading to police complaints against Patil, according to testimony from Nimbalkar's son, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Omraje Nimbalkar.

The verdict brings an end to a case that spanned two decades, with the court finding the evidence insufficient to convict the accused.