The Bombay High Court will hear on Friday an appeal filed by Maharashtra Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate challenging his conviction in a 1995 cheating and forgery case.
Justice R.N. Laddha said he would decide on Friday Kokate’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction.
The senior Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate has become unreachable as legal pressure intensifies following his conviction, fuelling speculation that his arrest may be imminent.
Manikrao’s advocate confirmed that he has been admitted to Lilavati hospital for treatement as he was not feeling well.
Lawyers associated with the matter said Kokate failed to present himself before the sessions court, prompting fresh legal steps that could leave him with little room for relief.Advocate Ashutosh Rathod, appearing for the complainant, stated that after the verdict Kokate was required to surrender his bail bond and remain present before the sessions court. He alleged that Kokate deliberately stayed away despite being an accused. “By avoiding the court, he is attempting to take advantage of legal gaps. To stop this, we have moved an application seeking stringent action,” Rathod said.
Kokate, who belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, represents the Sinnar Assembly constituency in Nashik district. His advocate, Aniket Nikam, sought urgent hearing, submitting that the conviction could lead to Kokate losing his ministerial post as well as his MLA membership.
On February 20, a magistrate court in Nashik district convicted Kokate and his brother Sunil Kokate and sentenced them to two years’ imprisonment for submitting forged documents to obtain flats under a government quota.
The Sessions Court at Nashik, on March 5, suspended the sentence and stayed the conviction. However, on December 16, the Sessions Court confirmed the two-year sentence for fraudulently acquiring flats under the Chief Minister’s Housing Scheme.
About The Case
The case dates back to 1995 and was filed by former minister Tukaram Dighole, who alleged that the Kokate brothers committed forgery and fraud to secure flats under the Chief Minister’s discretionary quota. The prosecution claimed they falsely projected themselves as belonging to the low-income group and declared that they owned no other property. Subsequent investigation found the documents submitted by them to be forged.
Challenging the Sessions Court order confirming his conviction, Kokate has now approached the High Court and, pending hearing of his appeal, has sought a stay on his conviction.
