India, June 21 -- A special CBI court on Saturday acquitted former Maharashtra home minister Padamsinh Patil, 86, and seven others in the 2006 murder of Patil's cousin and Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver, saying the prosecution failed to establish the conspiracy beyond reasonable doubt.

Patil, the alleged mastermind behind the conspiracy and then with the undivided NCP, is the step-brother of deputy chief minister and NCP chief, Sunetra Pawar, while Pawanraje Nimbalkar is the father of Omprakash Nimbalkar, one of the six rebel Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs likely to switch to the Shiv Sena.

Patil, who suffers from age-related ailments, was brought to the court premises in an ambulance and presented in court in a wheelchair. His...