SC shifts trial in Nimbalkar murder case to Mumbai

The Supreme Court Tuesday transferred the trial in the Pawanraje Nimbalkar murder case from Maharashtra's Alibaug town to Mumbai.

The apex court bench of Justice C.K. Prasad and Justice J.S. Khehar transferred the trial on the plea of the deceased's wife Anandibai Nimbalkar, who sought the transfer of the trial to Delhi.

Member of Parliament Padamsingh Patil is the main accused in the June 3, 2006 murder of his political rival Nimbalkar. The case was investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Anandibai Nimbalkar had sought the transfer of the trial outside Alibaug alleging that Patil was influencing the witnesses. A few of them had already turned hostile, she said.

Counsel of the respondents, who include MP Padamsingh Patil, had already sought the transfer of trial in the case to Mumbai or anywhere else in Maharashtra instead of Delhi as the documents and proceedings of the case were in Marathi.

This was stated by counsel Manoj Kumar, managing partner of the law firm Hammurabi & Solomon that represented Patil.

Patil, from the Nationalist Congress Party, is a Lok Sabha member from Osmanabad.

Accepting Patil's contention, the court directed the transfer of the trial to Mumbai.

Manoj Kumar said the petitioner Anandibai Nimbalkar's counsel consented to shifting the trial to Mumbai instead of Delhi as sought by her.