Nashik Court Postpones Decision on Minister Manikrao Kokate's Conviction Stay to March 5

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister seeks relief from disqualification after being convicted in a decades-old forgery and cheating case.

Manikrao Kokate, Maharashtra's Agriculture Minister, was convicted on February 20 for cheating and forgery related to fraudulently acquiring government flats in 1995.
The Nashik magistrate’s court sentenced Kokate and his brother to two years in prison, which could disqualify him as an MLA under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Kokate has appealed the conviction and requested a stay on the sentence to avoid disqualification; the sessions court has temporarily suspended the sentence and granted bail.
The Nashik sessions court deferred its decision on the stay plea to March 5, citing the need for records from the magistrate’s court.
Intervention applications from individuals seeking to participate in the case were rejected, with the court ruling they lacked legal standing.