Contract given to kill me: Anna Hazare tells court

Vartha Bharati | 09-07-2019 | 19:05:00 IST

Mumbai, Jul 9: Social activist Anna Hazare on Tuesday deposed before a special court in Mumbai as a prosecution witness in the 2006 murder case of Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar.

Former Lok Sabha MP Padamsinh Patil is the key accused in the case.

Hazare, in his deposition before the trial court of judge Anand Yawalkar, said he knew Patil as an elected representative.

"There were allegations of corruption against him, for which I did an agitation and after that the government formed a commission under a retired Supreme Court judge P B Sawant to inquire the matter," Hazare told the court.

"I learnt about the murder of Nimbalkar through media. I also came to know through a media report that a contract was given to the shooters to kill me, following which I registered a case in this connection at Parner police station (in Ahmednagar district)," the anti-corruption crusader said.

Hazare said before filing the complaint, he wrote a letter to the government, but no action was taken.

His deposition came after the Supreme Court, setting aside a Bombay High Court order, recently directed the CBI to make Hazare a prosecution witness in the case.

The high court last year dismissed a plea of the deceased Congress leader's wife Anandidevi Nimbalkar, seeking to make Hazare a witness in the case.

The high court then said it did not find anything to show that Hazare's evidence would be useful to the case.

The deceased's wife in her application claimed Hazare was an important witness as he was aware of the conspiracy hatched by the prime accused and former state minister Padamsinh Patil to kill the Congress leader.

Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver Samad Kazi were found shot dead inside the Congress leader's car near Kalamboli on the Mumbai-Pune Express Highway on June 3, 2006.

The trial in the case began in July 2011.

According to the CBI, Patil hatched the conspiracy "to kill Nimbalkar out of political rivalry".

The others accused in the case are 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.

In November 2012, the Supreme Court transferred the case to Mumbai from Alibaug as many of the witnesses turned hostile.

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Kharge expresses regret over 'illiterate' remark, says he has highest of respect for Gujaratis

08-04-2026 ¦ 08-04-2026 IST

Photo: Mallikarjun Kharge (PTI)

New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday expressed regret over his controversial statement calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate", and said he has always had and will continue to have the highest of respect for the people of the state.

In a post on X, the Congress president said, "Some remarks of mine in a recent election speech in Kerala are being deliberately misinterpreted. Even so, I express my sincere regret.

"It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat for whom I have always had and will continue to have the highest of respect."

Kharge on Sunday had sparked a row during his Assembly poll campaign in Kerala, calling the people of Gujarat "illiterate" and claiming they were being "fooled" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

At the same time, Kharge said neither Modi nor Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan could fool the people of Kerala, describing them as "very clever and educated".

"Don’t misguide the people of Kerala. They are very clever and educated. Modiji, Vijayan, you both can fool people who are illiterate in Gujarat or other places, but you cannot fool the people of Kerala," the Congress chief had said.

He made the remark while alleging that both Modi and Vijayan were following the same path, with no difference between them except the parties they lead.

The BJP on Tuesday had demanded an apology from Kharge for his remarks, saying that the comment was "shameless, demeaning and utterly despicable."

Addressing a press conference here, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to clarify whether they agreed with Kharge's statement.