Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate Sentenced to Two Years in Jail for Forgery

Kokate and his brother were convicted for fraudulently obtaining government flats under a low-income housing scheme in a decades-old case.

Manikrao Kokate, Maharashtra's agriculture minister, was sentenced to two years in prison by a Nashik court for submitting fake documents to acquire government flats in 1995.
The case involved Kokate and his brother falsely claiming low-income status and not owning property to secure flats under the Chief Minister's discretionary quota.
Kokate was fined ₹50,000 and granted bail shortly after the sentencing; he plans to appeal the verdict in the Bombay High Court.
The conviction raises questions about Kokate's eligibility to continue as an MLA under the Representation of the People Act, which disqualifies officials sentenced to two or more years in prison.
Opposition leaders have called for Kokate's immediate resignation, citing moral grounds and ongoing controversies involving other NCP ministers in the state government.