All accused acquitted in Maha Cong leader Nimbalkar murder Case

A special CBI court in Mumbai on Saturday acquitted all the accused in the 2006 murder case of Maharashtra Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver Samad Kazi, citing lack of evidence.Among those acquitted is former NCP leader Padamsinh Patil, who had been named by the CBI as the key accused in the alleged conspiracy. The case dates back to June 3, 2006, when Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver, Samad Kazi, were travelling from Mumbai to Osmanabad, now known as Dharashiv. According to investigators, armed assailants intercepted their vehicle near Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai and opened fire. Both Nimbalkar and Kazi were killed in the attack. At the time of his death, Nimbalkar was a sitting MLA and a prominent political figure who had held several important positions in state governments over the years. The CBI alleged that the murder was part of a larger conspiracy and described it as a contract killing.
Nimbalkar's cousin and former NCP MP Padamsinh Patil were among those who faced the murder trial.Besides Patil, the former state home minister and stepbrother of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, other accused in the case included 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.Jain had initially accepted the contract of Rs 30 lakh from Shukla and Mandade to kill Nimbalkar. He was later granted a pardon and turned approver against the other accused.
The initial investigation was carried out by Navi Mumbai Police. However, concerns raised by Nimbalkar's family regarding the progress of the probe led to legal intervention. Following a petition, the Bombay High Court transferred the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Padamsinh Patil was arrested in 2009 and later granted bail the same year. The trial formally began in July 2011 and continued for over a decade.
 A total of 128 witnesses were examined over the course of the trial. The case became one of the longest-running and most high-profile political murder trials in Maharashtra. According to the CBI, the conspiracy was driven by political rivalry. Investigators alleged that Patil believed Nimbalkar's growing popularity posed a threat to his political influence in Osmanabad district.The trial was conducted before a Special CBI Court presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Satyanaryan Navandar.