Court upholds NCP minister Manikrao Kokate’s two-year sentence in cheating case

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister is expected to move the Bombay High Court to challenge the verdict in order to continue working as an elected representative

Mumbai: Manikrao Kokate, one of the most controversial ministers in the Maharashtra cabinet, is facing disqualification after a Nashik district sessions court on Tuesday upheld his two-year sentence in a cheating and forgery case.

Mumbai, India. July 02, 2025: Manikrao Kokate, agriculture Minister of Maharashtra, attended the Assembly monsoon session at the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Mumbai, India. July 02, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/ HT Photo) (Raju Shinde)

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister is expected to move the Bombay High Court to challenge the verdict in order to continue working as an elected representative. The Representation of the People Act, 1951, mandates disqualification for elected representatives sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more in a criminal case.

Kokate, 68, had challenged the February judgment of a first-class magistrate court, which convicted him on charges of cheating and forgery in a case dating back over three decades. The case pertains to the alleged fraudulent acquisition of two flats under a government quota meant for economically weaker sections.

According to the prosecution, Kokate and his brother, Vijay Kokate, acquired the flats in 1995 by submitting fabricated documents that suppressed their income. The case was registered following a complaint filed by Shiv Sena leader and then-minister Tukaram Dighole.

After nearly nine months of hearings, additional sessions judge PM Badar on Tuesday upheld the magistrate court’s verdict. While Opposition parties demanded Kokate’s sacking from the state cabinet, the NCP said it will file an appeal against the verdict.

“We will definitely challenge the sessions court’s judgment in the higher court, as we are sure that Kokate is not guilty. We are hoping to get justice from the higher court,” said NCP spokesperson Suraj Chavan.

Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal attacked the BJP-led state government, drawing comparisons with previous disqualifications. “The Parliament secretariat cancelled the membership of Rahul Gandhiji within 24 hours of a verdict in a minor case. We will see in how many hours [chief minister] Devendra Fadnavis will disqualify Kokate’s membership from the state legislature.”

In December 2023, Congress MLA Sunil Kedar was disqualified by the state legislature secretariat within 24 hours of a Nagpur court convicting him of financial irregularities in a district co-operative bank.

Kokate has been involved in a series of controversies, most of which were stoked by his own statements that led to embarrassment for the state government. Earlier this year, he drew sharp criticism from Fadnavis after calling the state government a “beggar” while clarifying an earlier controversial statement comparing farmers with beggars.

He was also filmed allegedly playing an online card game on his phone while sitting in the legislative council during the monsoon session. The incident sparked a major political backlash, particularly amid farmer distress and suicides in the state. Kokate was later relieved of his agriculture portfolio and has since been handling the sports, youth welfare and minority affairs departments.