Mumbai, June 20 -- Twenty years after Congress leader Pawanraje alias Bhupalsingh Santajiraje Nimbalkar and his driver Samad Abdul Wahid Kazi were shot dead in Navi Mumbai, a special CBI court on Saturday acquitted all nine accused in the case, including former Maharashtra home minister Padamsinh Patil.

Special judge Satyanarayan Navandar also acquitted Latur-based businessman Satish Mandade, former Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation councillor Mohan Shukla, Parasmal Badala (Jain), alleged shooters Dinesh Tiwari and Pintusingh Chaudhary, BSP worker Kailash Yadav from Baskhari in Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar district, his close aide Gyanendra Pande, and former State Excise officer Shashikant Kulkarni.

The prosecution had alleged tha...