HC defers CBI plea to July 2 to cancel Padamsinh Patil's bail

On a CBI plea, the Bombay High Court today deferred till July 2, the agency's petition seeking to cancel the bail of NCP leader Padamsinh Patil in the 2006 Pawanraje Nimbalkar murder case.
The petition was filed nearly a year ago and on several occasions in the past, no lawyer on behalf of CBI had appeared in this matter. Justice Abhay Thipsay had earlier observed if CBI was not taking its petition forward, then why should it be kept pending.
CBI has sought cancellation of bail to Patil, a former Maharashtra minister, on the ground that he was influencing witnesses, several of whom turned hostile during the trial at the Alibag sessions court.

According to CBI, 43 witnesses had been examined in the trial so far, of which 11 turned hostile.
The trial has been stayed by the Supreme Court after Nimbalkar's wife Anandibai sought transfer of the trial out of Alibag.
Padamsinh is charged with hatching a conspiracy to murder Nimbalkar, a Congress leader, due to political rivalry. Padamsinh allegedly hired killers for Rs 30 lakh to eliminate Nimbalkar, who, along with his driver, was shot dead on June 3, 2006 at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai.
Other accused in the case include Latur-based businessman Satish Mandade, corporator Mohan Shukla, Parasmal Jain, former state excise inspector Shashikant Kulkarni, Bahujan Samaj Party worker Kailash Yadav, alleged shooters Dinesh Tiwari, Pintu Singh and Chote Pandey.