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In a setback for the Central Bureau of Investigation, three more prosecution witnesses have turned hostile in the 2006 Pawanraje Nimbalkar murder case, in which Member of Parliament Padamsinh Patil is the main accused.
A total of 12 witnesses have turned hostile so far at the ongoing trial before the Alibag sessions court in neighbouring Raigad district.
The three witnesses who turned hostile last week included two eyewitnesses who had seen the assailants open fire at Nimbalkar's car at Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai, killing the Congress leader and his driver.
The murder took place on June 3, 2006. According to the prosecution, three assailants travelling in an Indica overtook Nimbalkar's car and forced him to halt. Then they opened fire.
But the two eyewitnesses, who were on the crime spot, told the sessions court last week that they had not seen any Indica that day.
The third witness who turned hostile was the person who had allegedly obtained a SIM card for Mohan Shukla, an accused.
The SIM card was used to make calls to other accused, hatch the conspiracy and execute the murder.
Earlier in March, Nimbalkar's widow Anandibai had approached the Bombay high court seeking transfer of the trial from Alibag to a court in Mumbai, alleging that Padamsinh was influencing and threatening the witnesses.
Anandibai had filed the application in the petition filed by CBI in the high court, seeking cancellation of bail to Padamsinh.
Justifying the demand for bail cancellation, CBI had also filed an affidavit in the high court, alleging that Padamsinh was using his influence to put pressure on the witnesses.
"The witnesses have gone back on their earlier statements to the CBI because of the pressure tactics adopted by the respondent (Patil), who is a sitting MP from Osmanabad
constituency and highly influential," CBI said.
Patil was arrested in June 2009 and was granted bail by the Alibag court in September.
The CBI has now approached the high court, challenging the lower court's order.
The trial started in July last year and the prosecution has examined 20 witnesses so far. The next date of hearing is April 23.
According to the CBI, Patil hatched the conspiracy to kill Nimbalkar out of political rivalry.
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 and alleged shooters Dinesh Tiwari, Pintu Singh and Chote Pandey.