Late Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver Samad Qazi were murdered in 2006. After a long legal battle, the court will give its verdict today (Saturday, June 20). Everyone’s eyes are fixed on this historic decision. At the same time, today is a very important day for both the victim families.
For this historic decision, Nimbalkar and Qazi family have left for Mumbai from Pune. In the case, all the nine accused including former Home Minister Dr. Padmasingh Patil have been ordered to remain present in the court. Mumbai’s Additional Sessions Judge and Special Judge S. R. The hearing of this case is going on in Navander court.
9 accused including Padmasingh Patil included
Nine accused are involved in the case, including Padmasinh Patil, brother of state Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar. Patil, who is also a senior NCP leader and former minister of state, is accused of conspiring to murder his cousin due to political and business rivalry. The 9 accused include Padmasingh Patil, Satish Mandade, Mohan Shukla, Parasmal Jain, Dinesh Tiwari, Mahatam Chaudhary, Kailash Yadav, Gyanendra Pandey and Shashikant Kulkarni.
Important day for the victim’s family
Pawanraje Nimbalkar’s wife Anandidevi Nimbalkar, son and MP Omraje Nimbalkar and Dr. Jaiprakash Raje will be present in today’s hearing. Samad Qazi’s wife and son will also be present in the court.
Before leaving for Mumbai, MP Omraj Nimbalkar said that this is a very emotional moment for his family. He said that the family has been continuously struggling for justice for the last 20 years and 17 days. The manner in which this brutal murder was committed was an incident that tarnished blood relations. He said that we have full faith in the judiciary and hope to get justice. Dr. Jaiprakash Raje said that he has played an active role in the legal battle of this case for the last 20 years and has continuously fought for justice.
What did Samad Qazi’s son say?
Here, Samad Qazi’s son said that when his father was murdered, he was only one and a half years old. He said that he did not understand anything at that time, he said that after the death of his father, his family had to face a lot of problems. He said that his mother still shares memories of his father.
The Qazi family told that after the death of their father, many responsibilities fell on the family and they had to go through many struggles. He says that Samad Qazi had no fault in this case, yet he was murdered. The family has demanded the court to provide justice by giving strict punishment to the culprits.
what is the whole matter
On 3 June 2006, Nimbalkar was shot dead in his car near Kalamboli Steel Market on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. According to the prosecution, the motive for the murder was Nimbalkar’s opposition to the management of Terna Sugar Factory and his political contest against Padmasingh Patil in the 2004 assembly elections. The prosecution alleged that Padmasingh Patil had recruited his associates to help him commit the betel nut murder. Financial mismanagement and misuse of funds, especially in the Terna Sugar Factory, were cited as the main points of controversy.
Bombay High Court handed over the investigation to CBI
Kalamboli police initially registered an FIR against unknown persons and later the investigation was handed over to Navi Mumbai Crime Branch. The victim’s wife Anandibai Nimbalkar filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court demanding an independent investigation, citing the political rivalry between her husband and Padmasingh Patil and previous attacks. On October 23, 2008, the Bombay High Court handed over the investigation to the CBI, finding that the state police investigation was disorganized and negligent.
This case was originally going on in Alibaug Sessions Court. However, the Supreme Court ordered to transfer it to the City Sessions Court. The step was taken following a petition filed by Anandibai Nimbalkar, in which she had alleged that prime accused Padmasingh Patil was exerting undue influence on the proceedings. His petition mentioned that 9 witnesses had turned hostile during the Alibaug Charan trial.
Important testimony of Parasmal Jain
An important part of the prosecution’s case was the statement of Parasmal Jain, who initially confessed to the murder, later confessed to the crime and was granted pardon to become a witness for the prosecution. Jain testified that he was recruited by co-accused Mohan Shukla and Satish Mandade, both alleged associates of Padmasingh Patil, to plan the murder. He gave a detailed account of the recruitment of shooters from Uttar Pradesh, purchase of vehicles in fake names and keeping an eye on Nimbalkar’s activities before the murder.
The family told about threats and harassment
The investigation also drew on forensic reports, ballistic evidence linking the weapons used at the crime scene and call detail records that tracked communications between the accused. The victim’s wife Anandibai Nimbalkar and son Omprakash Nimbalkar also testified about the long-term threats and harassment the late leader faced, including denial of police protection and obstruction in renewal of firearms license (gun or weapon).
The prosecution also presented evidence from medical officers, who confirmed the cause of death to be gunshot injuries from close range, and evidence from administrative officials, who detailed financial irregularities within the Terna Sugar Factory.
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