'This is Kalyug': Pawanraje Nimbalkar's son reacts after court acquits all accused in 2006 murder case, asks 'who killed my father?

PUNE: Hours after a special CBI court acquitted all eight accused in the 2006 murder of former Maharashtra minister Pawanraje Nimbalkar, his son and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar questioned who was responsible for the killing if none of those tried in the case were guilty, calling the verdict deeply disappointing and vowing to challenge it before the Bombay High Court."Good people, who live and behave correctly, face disappointment. This is 'Kalyug'," he said, reacting to the verdict which came 20 years after the murder of his father and his driver in Navi Mumbai.A special court in Mumbai on Saturday acquitted former Maharashtra home minister Padamsinh Patil and seven others in the case, holding that the prosecution had failed to establish the chain of conspiracy.Nimbalkar said his family would challenge the decision before the Bombay High Court."We have heard the operative part of the judgment. The court has accepted that there was political rivalry, and also pointed out shortcomings in the investigation conducted by the state police. At that time, there was pressure on the police from Padamsinh Patil who had served as the state's home minister earlier," he told reporters here.He said the investigation was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation nearly three years after the murder following a plea moved by his family before the high court.

"The CBI carried out a thorough investigation. Once we receive and study the written judgment, we will certainly approach the high court. The only question my family has is: if all the accused have been acquitted, who killed Pawanraje?" the Dharashiv MP said."For 20 years, we attended every hearing and pursued the legal battle with the expectation that the guilty would be punished. While we respect the court's decision, we will seek legal remedy before the High Court," he said.Asked about his political future, Nimbalkar, who was among the six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs absent from the party's parliamentary meeting in Delhi despite a whip and is believed to be headed towards the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, said he would take a decision within two days after consulting people from his constituency, PTI reported."I have never spoken against Uddhav Thackeray or Aaditya Thackeray, and I will not do so in future either," he said.(With agency inputs)