In a significant legal blow, Maharashtra's Sports Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Manikrao Kokate faces the imminent threat of losing his legislative seat. This follows a ruling by a sessions court in Nashik on Tuesday, which upheld a two-year prison sentence against him in a nearly three-decade-old fraud case related to the illegal acquisition of a government flat.
Court Verdict Puts Political Future in Jeopardy
The Nashik sessions court confirmed the conviction and two-year sentence originally handed down by a district court in February 2025. The case, filed in 1995, revolves around allegations that Kokate and his brother, Sunil Kokate, used forged documents to illegally secure flats under the chief minister's discretionary housing quota.
This legal development triggers a direct threat to Kokate's position as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). According to Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, any legislator convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more is automatically disqualified from holding elected office. This provision was reinforced by a landmark Supreme Court judgment in 2013.
Kokate now has a one-month window to challenge the sessions court's decision in the Bombay High Court. His political fate hangs in the balance until a higher court re-examines the conviction.
Details of the 1995 Fraud Case
The controversy dates back to 1995 when former minister and Congress leader Tukaram Dighole accused the Kokate brothers of fraud. The allegation stated that they forged documents to falsely claim eligibility for the Chief Minister's 10% discretionary housing quota.
The prosecution argued that the brothers falsely declared they belonged to a low-income group and owned no other property. Investigations later confirmed that the supporting documents were forged. The flats in question were located in the Nirman View Apartment on College Road in Yeolekar Mala, Nashik.
While upholding the conviction and the Rs 50,000 fine, the sessions court set aside an additional order that had directed Kokate to hand over the flat to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). Dighole, who had lost to Kokate in the 1999 Assembly elections, passed away in 2019.
A Career Marred by Controversies
This conviction adds to a series of controversies that have marked Kokate's political career. A five-time MLA from Sinnar in Nashik district, Kokate has been associated with the Shiv Sena and the Congress before aligning with the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP. Following the NCP split, he was inducted into the state cabinet, initially holding the agriculture portfolio.
His tenure has been punctuated by several contentious remarks and incidents:
- In February 2025, he compared the government's Re 1 crop insurance scheme to alms, stating, "Even beggars don't accept one rupee in alms." He acknowledged fraud in the scheme but defended its continuation.
- In April 2025, he drew criticism for accusing farmers of deliberately defaulting on crop loans in anticipation of waivers.
- In July 2025, a video shared on social media appeared to show him playing an online card game on his phone inside the Assembly. Kokate denied the allegation, claiming he was trying to watch YouTube.
Following the card game controversy, Kokate was removed from the agriculture portfolio on August 1, 2025, and reassigned as the Sports Minister. The latest court verdict represents perhaps the most serious challenge yet to his political survival, casting a long shadow over his future in Maharashtra politics.
