Nashik, Feb 20 The Nashik district court on Thursday sentenced Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate and his brother Vijay Kokate to two years in prison and also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each in a case of embezzling flats provided under the Chief Minister's quota by using fake documents.
This verdict has put Kokate’s legislatorship and ministerial post in jeopardy.
He was elected by the Ajit Pawar-led NCP from the Sinnar Assembly segment situated in Nashik district. Kokate was yet to react to the court ruling.
NCP's Maharashtra chief spokesman Anand Paranjape said that Kokate will be approaching the Bombay High Court against the Nashik district court ruling.
A flat is provided to a person with a low income from the government from the Chief Minister's quota at a reduced rate. For this, the person concerned has to submit an affidavit and necessary documents stating that he does not have a flat anywhere in his name. Manikrao Kokate and his brother Sunil Kokate obtained two flats from the Chief Minister's quota in the Nirman View Apartment in the Canada Corner area of Nashik city by allegedly submitting fake documents during 1995 and 1997. Not only this but the other two flats in this building, which were obtained by others, were also being used by the Kokate brothers.
The then Additional District Collector had investigated and registered a case at the Sarkarwada police station under IPC 420, 465, 471, 47 against Manikrao Kokate, his brother Sunil Kokate and two others total for defrauding the government by obtaining flats on the basis of fake documents.
Former Minister Tukaram Dighole had filed a petition against them. The hearing in this case was going on in the Nashik District Court for the past several years.
The hearing of this case was completed on Thursday in the Nashik district court. The government prosecutor, Advocate Poonam Ghodke argued in the court on behalf of the government. Two other accused in the case have been acquitted by the court for want of evidence. The investigation revealed that the flats of the concerned people were also being used by the Kokate brothers.
The political observers said Kokate will have an option of approaching the high court against the district court order. As per the present norms if the public representative is sentenced to two or more years he or and may lose the legislatorship and also the ministerial post.
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