CBI To Challenge Acquittal In Pawanraje Nimbalkar Murder Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has decided to file an appeal before the Bombay High Court after a special court acquitted every accused in the murder case of Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver.

The Mumbai-based special CBI court ruled that the prosecution failed to present sufficiently dependable evidence and therefore granted the accused the benefit of doubt.

The case stems from the fatal shooting of Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver in Navi Mumbai on June 3, 2006.

Given the significance of the matter, the Bombay High Court subsequently transferred the investigation to the CBI.

After conducting an extensive inquiry, the agency submitted a charge sheet in 2009 and later filed a supplementary charge sheet in 2010, naming nine individuals as accused.

A crucial element of the prosecution’s case centred on an accused who later became an approver and testified for the investigation agency. The trial court found his statements inconsistent and unreliable.

The judgment pointed out that the witness repeatedly altered his account during the course of the investigation and trial, creating serious discrepancies that weakened the prosecution’s argument.

The court concluded that the inconsistencies in the approver’s testimony damaged the prosecution’s claim of a larger conspiracy behind the killings.

Observing that convictions require credible and consistent evidence, the court held that the witness’s account could not independently support a guilty verdict and therefore cleared all the accused.

The CBI has maintained that it produced convincing material against the accused and remains committed to pursuing the matter through the appellate process.

Among those acquitted was former Maharashtra Home Minister Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, whom investigators had previously identified as the alleged key conspirator in the case.

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