The CBI will challenge in the Bombay High Court the acquittal order by the trial court in the Pawanraje Nimbalkar murder case, sources aware of development said.
The development has come after 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 on their way from Mumbai to Osmanabad (now Dharashiv) on June 3, 2006, when two hitmen intercepted their car at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai and opened fire, killing both on the spot.
Nimbalkar’s cousin and former NCP MP Padamsinh Patil, now 86, was among those who faced the murder trial.
Interestingly, Nimbalkar’s son, Omraje Nimbalkar, is among the six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs who have reportedly formed a breakaway group and are in touch with Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde.
The investigation in the murder case was transferred to CBI on the orders of Bombay High Court.
After conducting a thorough investigation, CBI had filed a chargesheet on August 20, 2009 and a supplementary chargesheet on June 4, 2010 against nine accused persons including Padmasinh Patil.
During the course of trial, one accused was made approver.
CBI sources said that on the basis of the fact that the agency had brought out strong evidence against the accused in the case, it would be challenging the judgment of the trial court before the Bombay High Court.
Besides Padamsinh Patil, who is 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.
On June 19, Shiv Sena (UBT) ‘rebel’ MP Omraje Nimbalkar had said that he would indicate his next step only after the trial court’s verdict in his father’s murder case.
