The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday announced it will appeal before the Bombay High Court against the acquittal of all accused in the murder of Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver — a case that has wound through India's judicial system for nearly two decades. A special CBI court in Mumbai cleared all the accused, including former Maharashtra Home Minister and ex-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, citing insufficient reliable evidence.

The Murder That Shook Navi Mumbai

Pawanraje Nimbalkar, a prominent Congress leader, and his driver were shot dead in broad daylight on 3 June 2006 in Navi Mumbai. The brazen, public nature of the killing drew immediate attention, and the case was subsequently transferred to the CBI on the directions of the Bombay High Court. Following its investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet in 2009 and a supplementary charge sheet in 2010, naming nine accused persons, including Padamsinh Patil.

Why the Trial Court Acquitted the Accused

The trial court's judgment turned on the credibility of the prosecution's star witness — an accused who had turned approver and become the key prosecution witness. The court found his testimony fatally compromised, noting that he had repeatedly changed his statements and that there were material contradictions in his account.

'A conviction cannot be based solely on the testimony of this witness,' the court observed, adding that the approver's persistent inconsistencies undermined the prosecution's conspiracy theory. With no sufficiently reliable corroborating evidence, the court extended the benefit of doubt to all the accused, resulting in a full acquittal.

CBI's Response and What Comes Next

The CBI pushed back firmly, maintaining that it had produced strong evidence against the accused and that the trial court's reading of that evidence was flawed. The agency has confirmed it will challenge the acquittal before the Bombay High Court, moving the case into a fresh legal phase.

Notably, among those acquitted is Padamsinh Patil, 86, who the CBI alleged was the principal conspirator behind the killings. Patil, who is also Nimbalkar's first cousin, arrived at the court in a wheelchair accompanied by a hospital attendant. He had been arrested by the CBI in June 2009 and was granted bail by the Alibaug Sessions Court later that year.

A Case With Decades of Legal History

The Nimbalkar murder case represents one of Maharashtra's most politically charged criminal trials. The involvement of a former state Home Minister as the alleged principal conspirator, the high-court-ordered CBI transfer, and the eventual collapse of the prosecution's key witness all make it a landmark in the state's legal history. This is not the first time a high-profile political murder case in Maharashtra has stumbled at the trial stage over witness credibility — a recurring pattern that raises questions about witness protection and evidence preservation in long-running CBI investigations.

With the CBI's appeal now headed to the Bombay High Court, the families of the victims and political observers will watch closely to see whether a higher court takes a different view of the evidence.