Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Dec 16: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) suffered a significant setback on Monday after a sessions court in Nashik upheld the two-year prison sentence awarded to Maharashtra Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate in a case involving the illegal acquisition of a government flat using forged documents.
With the conviction reaffirmed, Kokate’s continuation in the cabinet has come under serious question. Those who had earlier filed an intervention petition opposing bail for the minister have now begun submitting relevant documents before the Bombay High Court, seeking to prevent any relief in his favour.
Kokate has been in the spotlight in recent months for multiple controversies, including a viral video allegedly showing him playing cards inside the state council. Amid mounting pressure from the opposition demanding his resignation, he was earlier stripped of the Agriculture portfolio and reassigned as Sports Minister.
The case dates back to a complaint filed by late former minister Tukaram Dighole, alleging that Kokate and his brother Vijay Kokate fraudulently secured a government-quota flat meant for the Low-Income Group by submitting forged documents. A lower court had convicted both brothers, sentencing them to two years’ imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 50,000 each.
While the sessions court had earlier granted bail to the Kokate brothers and stayed the execution of the sentence during the pendency of the appeal, it has now upheld the conviction after examining the records. The court observed that the flats were acquired in violation of prescribed norms.
Advocate Ashutosh Rathod, representing the complainant’s side, said that the conviction being upheld strengthens the case against the minister. He added that Manikrao Kokate was morally bound to step down after the original sentencing itself and confirmed that steps are being taken to ensure he does not receive further relief from the High Court.
The political fallout intensified after NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Rohit Pawar demanded Kokate’s immediate dismissal from the cabinet. In a post on X, Pawar accused the government of shielding the minister despite repeated ethical lapses and said that the conviction for defrauding the government itself exposed the hollowness of its claims on probity and morality. He also expressed confidence that a defamation case filed against him by Kokate would be dismissed, just as the minister’s appeal failed.
With legal and political pressure mounting, the future of Manikrao Kokate in the Maharashtra government now hangs in the balance.