Mumbai: Maharashtra Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate has approached the Bombay High Court to challenge his conviction in a decades-old cheating and forgery case. The move comes as the minister reportedly went “incommunicado” amid intensifying legal pressure, only for his legal team to later confirm his admission to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai due to health concerns.
Justice R.N. Laddha is scheduled to hear Kokate’s appeal on Friday. The minister is seeking an immediate stay on his conviction, a ruling that currently threatens his political career.
Legal Pressure and Hospitalization
Following the confirmation of his sentence, speculation regarding Kokate’s potential arrest has grown. While the minister remained unreachable to the public and press, his advocate confirmed his hospitalization, citing that he was unwell.
Meanwhile, lawyers connected to the case noted that Kokate failed to appear before the sessions court as required. Advocate Ashutosh Rathod, representing the complainant, stated that Kokate was obligated to surrender his bail bond and present himself to the court following the verdict.
“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, accusing the minister of deliberately evading the judicial process.
Political Implications
Kokate, who represents the Sinnar Assembly constituency in Nashik district, is a member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. His counsel, Aniket Nikam, pressed for an urgent hearing, arguing that without a stay, the conviction could strip Kokate of both his cabinet position and his status as an MLA.
Case History and Timeline
The legal battle stems from a case filed in 1995 by former minister Tukaram Dighole. The complaint alleged that Kokate and his brother, Sunil Kokate, committed fraud to acquire flats under the Chief Minister’s discretionary housing quota. Prosecution arguments detailed that the brothers submitted forged documents, falsely declaring themselves as low-income individuals who owned no other property.
The judicial timeline has seen several turns this year:
- February 20: A magistrate court in Nashik convicted the Kokate brothers, sentencing them to two years of imprisonment.
- March 5: The Sessions Court at Nashik suspended the sentence and stayed the conviction.
- December 16: The Sessions Court upheld the original two-year sentence for fraudulently securing the government-allotted flats.
Pending the hearing of his appeal, Kokate has requested the High Court to stay the conviction confirmed by the Sessions Court earlier this week.
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