Mumbai:
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, were among those who faced the murder trial.
Padamsinh Patil at the Special CBI Court in Mumbai on June 16, 2026
Photo Credit: ANI
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.
CBI Probe
Dissatisfied with the initial investigation by the Navi Mumbai police, Nimbalkar’s family had approached the Bombay High Court seeking an independent probe. Following the court’s intervention, the investigation was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In 2009, the CBI filed a chargesheet naming Padamsinh Patil as the prime accused and alleged conspirator in the murder.
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 and that a contract worth Rs 30 lakh was arranged to eliminate him. They also stated that the motive was driven by Nimbalkar opposing the management of the Terna Sugar factory.
Patil, who has consistently denied the charge, was arrested in June 2009. A sessions court in Alibaug granted him bail in September that year.
A Long Trial
The case took more than 20 years to reach the verdict. The trial began in July 2011, during which the special court examined as many as 128 witnesses, including anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare.
Hazare’s name came up in the case after Parasmal Jain confessed that Patil had simultaneously given a contract to eliminate the activist. Hazare had testified about receiving threats from Patil.
The trial was conducted before a Special CBI Court presided over by Additional Sessions Judge Satyanaryan Navandar.
The proceedings involved extensive documentary evidence, witness testimony and arguments spanning several years.
The court was originally expected to deliver its verdict last month but was deferred to June 16. However, on that day, the judge adjourned the matter to June 20, saying he will take another two to three days to complete the judgment.
Who Was Pawanraje Nimbalkar?
Pawanraje Nimbalkar was a prominent Congress leader from Osmanabad district. He had emerged as a popular political figure and was increasingly seen as a challenger to the dominance of senior NCP leader Padamsinh Patil in the region.
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According to testimony recorded during the trial, Nimbalkar had initially risen politically with Patil’s support and had held positions in cooperative institutions such as the Terna Sugar Factory and the Osmanabad District Central Cooperative Bank. However, relations between the two leaders reportedly deteriorated as Nimbalkar’s political influence grew.
Nimbalkar’s son, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Omraje Nimbalkar, later told the court that his father had even lodged police complaints against Patil as relations between the two camps worsened.
