India, June 18 -- The heated speculation around a second split in the Shiv Sena (UBT) has also shone a light on a 20-year-old political murder and its far-reaching implications for the current state of play in Maharashtra politics.

On June 3, 2006, Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver Samad Abdul Wahid Kazi were murdered while they were driving from Pune to Mumbai. Nimbalkar's Skoda was intercepted by four men travelling in a Tata Indica at Kalamboli, Navi Mumbai. They shot dead Nimbalkar, who was snoozing in the back seat, and his driver.

Over 20 years, the murder was investigated by multiple agencies, and the case wended its way through several courts. On Tuesday, a special CBI judge was scheduled to pronounce his judgme...