Mumbai Special Court Acquits All Accused In 2006 Pawanraje Nimbalkar Murder Case; CBI To Challenge Verdict

Mumbai: “Who killed my father? Who will answer that question for me and my family?” Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar’s son and Dharashiv MP Omraje Nimbalkar asked after a special court acquitted all accused in the 2006 murder case on Saturday.

Nearly two decades later, the verdict has brought the Nimbalkar family back to the same crossroads, caught between what it calls a botched investigation and the political circumstances surrounding the case. Family members, who were present in court, left soon after the ruling.

The key accused, Dr Padmasinh Bajirao Patil, and Nimbalkar were cousins and once close political associates. Patil is said to have introduced Nimbalkar to politics, but their relationship soured after 2002, when Nimbalkar, then chairman of the Osmanabad District Central Co-operative Bank, was arrested in a fraud case.

While he was in prison, allegations also surfaced over financial irregularities at Terna Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana, where Nimbalkar was a director and Patil the chairman. Nimbalkar believed he had been falsely implicated and that Patil had instigated the prosecution, turning the former allies into political rivals.

The family suspected Patil had ordered Nimbalkar’s murder in 2005. Nimbalkar was shot dead while travelling from Mumbai to Pune in June 2006, but the family alleged police failed to act on its complaints against Patil.

Omraje’s brother Jayprakash Nimbalkar said the initial probe was influenced and investigators introduced multiple theories and witnesses that diverted the inquiry. The case was formally transferred to the CBI in March 2009.

Jayprakash alleged that crucial evidence was lost during the three-year delay and contradictory material was created, benefiting the accused. In 2008, Nimbalkar’s wife Anandibai approached the Bombay High Court seeking a CBI probe. The court later observed that the investigation was faulty and inspired no confidence.

The court acquitted all accused for lack of credible evidence and commented on the failure to collect crucial material. The CBI said it would challenge the verdict, while the family will explore available legal remedies.

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Published on: Sunday, June 21, 2026, 02:54 PM IST