Last Updated:
NCP leader Manikrao Kokate was accused of securing a flat in a government scheme for the economically weaker section (EWS) by submitting false affidavits about his income
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate was convicted in a cheating and forgery case. (X)
The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate in a cheating and forgery case linked to a government housing scheme, and suspended his two-year jail term.
The court, however, refused to stay the conviction noting that prima facie evidence pointed to Kokate’s involvement.
The NCP leader was accused of securing a flat in a government scheme for the economically weaker section (EWS) by submitting false affidavits about his income.
Kokate’s conviction was upheld by the Nashik district and sessions court on Tuesday. On Thursday night, he resigned from the Maharashtra cabinet where he held the sports and youth affairs portfolio.
Who is Manikrao Kokate?
Kokate was earlier with the Shiv Sena (undivided), after which he joined the Congress and eventually Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in 2023. After the Mahayuti’s victory in 2024, he was made a minister and held the key agriculture portfolio.
The case in which he was convicted
The case against Kokate dates back to 1989-1992, involving a housing scheme for EWS with an annual income limit of Rs 30,000. He was accused of securing a flat for him in the scheme by submitting false income affidavits.
Citing bank loans for grapes and rabi crops, as well as records from the Kopargaon Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana (sugar factory), the magistrate’s court noted that he was a prosperous farmer whose income far exceeded the eligibility threshold.
The controversies Kokate has been involved in
Beggar remark: In February, as the agriculture minister, Kokate landed in controversy, when at a meeting in Amravati, he spoke about the Rs 1 crop insurance scheme. “Even beggars do not accept one rupee in alms but the government is giving crop insurance at this price, and even this is being misused,” he said. Eventually, several irregularities by applicants came to the fore.
‘Defaulting on purpose’: Kokate accused farmers of defaulting on crop loans, hoping for waivers. “You take loans and then default for five to ten years expecting them to be waived. Farmers are not investing in their lands,” he had said.
Rummy row: A major political storm erupted when a video circulated showing Kokate allegedly playing an online card game on his phone during a legislative assembly session. The clip — shared by fellow NCP SP politician Rohit Pawar — drew heavy criticism because it appeared to show him distracted while legislative business was underway. The opposition used it to attack the ruling government, saying it reflected a lack of seriousness, especially amid ongoing agrarian distress in the state. Kokate denied playing rummy, claiming he was closing a pop-up ad, and even sent a defamation notice to Pawar over the allegation.
Kokate was then removed from the agriculture Ministry and shifted to the Sports & Youth Welfare portfolio by the state government — a move seen as a demotion.
With PTI Inputs
December 19, 2025, 19:43 IST
Read More
