Maharashtra Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Manikrao Kokate has been sentenced to two years in jail by a Nashik court in connection with a 1995 cheating case related to the fraudulent allotment of government flats.
The case, filed on the complaint of former minister T S Dighole, alleged that Kokate and his brother, Sunil Kokate, submitted fake documents to obtain two flats under the Chief Minister’s 10% discretionary quota meant for Low Income Group (LIG) applicants. The court also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on both Kokate brothers.
Following the verdict, Manikrao Kokate told reporters that he had been granted bail by the sessions court and would appeal the decision in the High Court. “I have decided to file an appeal against the verdict. We will do everything in accordance with the law,” he said.
The prosecution stated that the Kokate brothers falsely declared that they belonged to the LIG category and did not own any property, securing flats on College Road in Yeolakar Mala, Nashik. After T S Dighole raised the issue with the police, a case was registered against them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including cheating and forgery. Two other accused in the case were acquitted by the court.
The conviction could put Kokate’s position as an MLA in jeopardy if he fails to secure relief from the High Court. Meanwhile, the rival faction of NCP (Sharad Pawar) has demanded his resignation.
Kokate is the second minister from Ajit Pawar’s NCP in the BJP-led Maharashtra government to face legal troubles. Earlier, NCP leader and cabinet minister Dhananjay Munde came under scrutiny after his close aide was arrested in an extortion case linked to the murder of a village sarpanch in Beed district in December 2024.
Sources By Agencies