Supreme Court Halts Conviction of Former Maharashtra Minister Manikrao Kokate

Supreme Court Decision on Manikrao Kokate's Conviction

On Monday, the Supreme Court intervened by staying the conviction of Manikrao Kokate, a former minister from Maharashtra, who was implicated in a fraud case dating back to 1995 involving document tampering, as reported by a legal news outlet.

This ruling allows Kokate, a member of the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, to retain his position as an MLA while the case is under review.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi issued this order in response to Kokate's appeal against a Bombay High Court ruling that had suspended his sentence but did not overturn his conviction.

However, the Supreme Court clarified that Kokate is prohibited from holding any office of profit during the ongoing proceedings.

Earlier in February, a trial court found Kokate and his brother guilty of fraudulently obtaining flats in Nashik’s Yeolekar Mala under a government scheme by misrepresenting their financial status.

They were sentenced to two years in prison and fined Rs 50,000, but the court later granted bail to the Sinnar MLA.

The trial court determined that the brothers had forged documents to falsely claim they were part of the low-income group, thereby qualifying for flats under the chief minister’s discretionary quota.

On Monday, Justice Bagchi remarked that there was a significant error in the original conviction, stating that a 'false declaration does not constitute forgery.'

Previously, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had accepted Kokate’s resignation after the Nashik District and Sessions Court upheld the conviction and issued an arrest warrant against him.

According to legal provisions, a public official sentenced to two years or more in prison is ineligible to remain in office.