6 months ago
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Maharashtra Sports Minister and elder Nationalist Congress Party person Manikrao Shivaji Kokate has moved the Bombay High Court challenging his condemnation and two-year jailhouse word successful a 30-year-old cheating and forgery lawsuit linked to a lodging strategy for the economically weaker conception (EWS).
The plea was mentioned connected Wednesday (December 17, 2025) earlier Justice R.N. Laddha for urgent hearing, hours aft a Nashik tribunal upheld his condemnation and issued an apprehension warrant, escalating the hazard of Mr. Kokate losing his Cabinet berth and Assembly seat.
Mr. Kokate is presently admitted to Lilavati Hospital successful Mumbai arsenic helium has taken ill, his advocator told The Hindu.
On Tuesday (December 16), Additional Sessions Judge P.M. Badar of the Nashik District and Sessions Court confirmed Mr. Kokate’s condemnation nether Sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for cheating) and 471 (using forged document) work with Section 34 IPC, portion acquitting him of charges nether Sections 467 and 474 IPC. The tribunal directed the Magistrate to instrumentality steps for execution of the jailhouse term. On Wednesday (December 17), an apprehension warrant was issued against the Minister aft helium failed to look successful court.
The Magistrate’s tribunal had, connected February 20, 2025, sentenced Mr. Kokate and his member Vijay to 2 years’ rigorous imprisonment and levied a good of ₹10,000 connected each count, with sentences to tally concurrently. Both were convicted for allegedly misrepresenting their income to get flats nether the EWS quota successful Nashik.
The apprehension exertion was filed by Anjali Dighole Rathod, girl of erstwhile Maharashtra curate T.S. Dighole, who had primitively lodged the ailment successful 1995.
Mr. Kokate’s counsel Aniket Nikam connected Wednesday (December 17) told the High Court that the Minister faces an “imminent menace of losing his Ministry and Assembly seat” pursuing the conviction. The tribunal posted the substance for proceeding connected Friday (December 19). The Minister has sought a enactment connected his condemnation pending proceeding of his revision plea.
The prosecution alleged that Mr. Kokate applied for a level connected September 11, 1989, declaring his yearly income arsenic ₹30,000 successful an affidavit dated September 8, 1989. The level was allotted to him successful October 1994 nether the Chief Minister’s 10% discretionary quota. His member Vijay applied successful April 1994 and received a level aboriginal that year.
The FIR was lodged connected December 12, 1995, by Additional Collector Vishwanath Patil, accusing the brothers of submitting mendacious affidavits and income certificates to unafraid flats meant for persons earning little than ₹30,000 annually. The Magistrate convicted them aft a protracted proceedings spanning astir 3 decades.
Judge Badar held that Mr. Kokate’s income during the applicable play acold exceeded the prescribed limit. “I clasp that earlier Flat No. 4 was allotted to him, appellant/accused No. 1 could person informed the authorities that his income exceeded ₹30,000 per twelvemonth and could person withdrawn his application. However, helium concealed this information and accepted the level allotted by the authorities nether a strategy meant for economically weaker sections,” the justice said.
The tribunal relied connected grounds from Balasaheb Narode, an accountant astatine Kopargaon Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana, who stated that Mr. Kokate earned ₹35,016 from sugarcane income successful 1993-94 and ₹1,15,762 successful 1994-95. “This intelligibly shows that his yearly income was good supra ₹30,000,” the justice noted.
On Vijay Kokate, the tribunal observed, “When some sources of income — work and concern — are considered together, his full yearly income would magnitude to ₹59,000. Despite this, helium obtained Flat No. 3 nether the said scheme. Hence, I clasp that by furnishing mendacious income documents, helium deceived the State government.”
In the petition drafted by advocator Shrishailya S. Deshmukh, Mr. Kokate argues that some courts erred by considering his income successful 1994 alternatively of 1989, erstwhile eligibility was determined, “The eligibility of the applicant was determined anterior to 17.11.1989. The uncovering that mendacious documents were submitted is perverse and contrary to record.”
The petition contends that the prosecution failed to beryllium his income exceeded ₹30,000 successful 1989 and that “dishonest volition indispensable beryllium astatine inception” for Section 420 of the IPC to apply. It besides cites a civilian tribunal decree dated September 13, 2004, which quashed the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority’s cancellation announcement of June 1996, arguing that “the instauration of the transgression proceedings nary longer survives”.
Among different grounds, Mr. Kokate asserts that the mentation adopted by the little courts would person “disastrous consequences” for payment schemes, arsenic applicants cannot beryllium expected to stay nether the income threshold during agelong delays betwixt exertion and allotment.
Mahayuti authorities faces flak
The upholding of the condemnation of the NCP person has landed the Mahayuti Government successful different controversy, attracting disapproval from the Opposition for protecting the Minister. Mr. Kokate indispensable beryllium disqualified, Opposition parties demanded connected Wednesday (December 17).
Congress leaders Harshwardhan Sapkal and Varsha Gaikwad demanded his dismissal, alleging that the Mahayuti Government had been shielding him adjacent though the tribunal had upheld his condemnation successful a forgery case.
“No enactment has been taken contempt the apprehension warrant being issued. He is unreachable since the tribunal verdict. The authorities is trying to prevention him arsenic it did Parth Pawar, the lad of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar,” said Mr. Sapkal, adding that the government’s actions amounted to a “cruel mockery of democracy”.
Ms. Gaikwad lashed retired against the “arrogance of power” wielded by the authorities and the quality successful attraction of Opposition leaders.
“When the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress person Sunil Kedar were convicted, enactment was taken wrong 24 hours,” she posted connected X.
NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) person Rohit Pawar demanded that the Minister resign and that is his resignation beryllium accepted by the authorities immediately.
Since Tuesday (December 16), Mr. Kokate has remained incommunicado. He skipped the State Cabinet gathering connected Wednesday (December 17). His lawyers said helium has been hospitalised owed to thorax symptom and sought “some clip for his surrender”.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar person held discussions connected the matter, it is learnt.
Following the court’s verdict, Mr. Kokate stands to beryllium disqualified nether the Representation of the People Act, 1951, that mandates disqualification of elected representatives sentenced to jailhouse for 2 years oregon more.
