Mumbai: A Maharashtra court on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant against Sports and Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate after he was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment in a housing fraud case dating back to 1995.
The arrest warrant issued raises the prospect of his imminent arrest unless the Bombay High Court grants a stay on the conviction and sentence.
Amid the legal developments, Kokate’s health reportedly deteriorated, and he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, leading him to skip the weekly cabinet meeting held on Tuesday at Mantralaya.
During the hearing, Kokate’s legal counsel sought a four-day stay on his arrest, citing his hospitalisation. However, the sessions court rejected the plea, noting that no medical certificate had been submitted and observing that the minister should have remained present when the verdict was pronounced.
Kokate has since approached the Bombay High Court, seeking an urgent hearing and a stay on the sentence. The High Court is scheduled to hear the matter on Friday, December 19. If no interim relief is granted, Kokate’s legal troubles are expected to intensify.
The case pertains to the illegal allotment of government flats under the Chief Minister’s quota, meant exclusively for economically weaker sections who do not own residential property.
Investigations revealed that Kokate and his brother, Vijay Kokate, allegedly submitted false affidavits and forged documents to secure two flats in the Nirman View Apartment at Canada Corner in Nashik.
Further inquiries found that the brothers were also using two additional flats in the same building that had been allotted to other beneficiaries.
Based on a probe conducted by the district administration, Vishwanath Patil, then an official of the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) department, lodged a formal complaint.
Subsequently, a case of cheating and forgery was registered at the Sarkarwada Police Station against four accused, including the Kokate brothers. The court has now sentenced them to two years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each.
Since his induction into the cabinet, Kokate has repeatedly courted controversy. NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar had earlier shared videos alleging that Kokate was playing games on his mobile phone during a Legislative Council session — an allegation the minister denied, though it drew widespread criticism.
Kokate also triggered outrage with remarks on farmers, saying, “Even a beggar does not accept one rupee, but here we provide crop insurance for just one rupee, yet some people try to misuse it.”
During a municipal election campaign, he further embarrassed the ruling alliance by calling coalition partner BJP a ‘corrupt party’ that survives by breaking other parties while sidelining its loyal workers.
Manikrao Kokate is a five-time MLA from Sinnar constituency in Nashik district, known for his shifting political affiliations over the years.
(IANS)
