MUMBAI: Rajni Patil, whose successful fight to ensure justice for her slain husband had resulted in murder charges being framed against former President Pratibha Patil’s brother, Gajendra Narayan Patil, said it was to test the veracity of the ‘truth shall win’ maxim espoused by her father, which encouraged her to carry on the fight to bring the guilty to justice.
“My father used to say that truth always wins. I wanted to test whether he was right. That is why I fought the case against the high and mighty.” Rajni told Express in a polite but firm voice.
An Additional Sessions Court in Jalgaon had on Monday ordered that Gajendra and former local Congress MP Ulhas Patil be named as accused in the 2005 murder of Rajni’s husband V G Patil, who was the then Jalgaon Congress chief. They duo have been accused of giving out a contract for the Congress leader’s murder following personal enmity with him.
Meanwhile, Rajni is determined to take the case to its logical end.Earlier, she had refused to accept defeat when the CBI, which investigated the case, failed to submit the investigation report in the district court for seven years. “The CBI submitted the papers only 10 days ago after the court’s rap. The court looked into them and ordered the police to name Gajendra and Ulhas as accused. The court must have found some substance against them,” the litigant, who teaches Marathi at a local college, said.
According to her, the court’s order was a personal victory. “The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2006. Earlier, its sleuths were very cooperative. They used to keep me updated on the investigation’s progress. But the situation changed after she (Pratibha) became the President in 2007. The CBI officers started refusing to answer my phone calls and queries. It was a signal for me. I approached the court, presented my case strongly and (you can) see the results,” Rajni said.
Saying that the case had become the sole focus of her life, she said,”My husband’s opponents tried to tarnish his image saying that he had misappropriated funds. I wanted to prove them wrong. I am paying the legal expenses from my salary. The Congress leaders did not help me but the workers at the grassroots-level stood behind me like a wall. I must acknowledge their contribution in making me strong.” Rajni also alleged that the state Congress leaders had failed to keep Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi in the loop regarding Gajendra’s alleged involvement in the case.