Mumbai: The Bombay High Court was on Monday irked by CBI lawyer`s failure to appear for the hearing of agency`s petition seeking cancellation of bail granted to NCP leader Padamsinh Patil in the 2006 Pawanraje Nimbalkar murder case.
"Nobody is coming on behalf of CBI since the last three hearings of this petition. The petition should have been dismissed by now. If CBI is not taking forward its own petition why should it be kept pending," Justice Abhay Thipsay said.
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.
The court was today informed that CBI counsel Ejaz Khan was not in the city. Justice Thipsay said, "CBI is a big organisation. If one person is not there then it can send someone else to appear."
Adjourning the hearing till July 17, Justice Thipsay said this was the last chance he was giving to the CBI.
The court was today informed that 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.
PTI
