India, June 20 -- A special CBI court in Mumbai acquitted all accused in the 2006 murder case of Maharashtra Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar and his driver Samad Kazi, bringing an end to a trial that lasted nearly two decades.

Among those acquitted was former NCP MP and ex-Maharashtra minister Padamsinh Patil, who had been named by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the prime accused and alleged conspirator in the double murder. Nimbalkar and Kazi were shot dead by assailants near Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai on June 3, 2006, while travelling to Osmanabad, now known as Dharashiv.

The case was initially investigated by Navi Mumbai Police before being transferred to the CBI following a petition by Nimbalkar's family. In its 2009...