A court in Nashik, Maharashtra on Thursday sentenced state Agriculture Minister and NCP leader Manikrao Kokate to two years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 in a 30-year-old case related to cheating and submitting fake documents to obtain flats under the government quota.
The Minister's brother Sunil Kokate was also convicted in the case registered in 1995 on the complaint of former minister late TS Dighole.
Poonam Ghotke, Assistant Public Prosecutor, said, " We had examined a total of 10 witnesses in this case. After examining all the 10 witnesses, the court sentenced Manikrao Kokate and his brother Vijay Kokate to two years imprisonment and fined them Rs 50,000. This is a case from 1997, the 10% reserve quota from Mukhya Mantri Nidhi, they got flats through this. When they got the flats they had claimed they had no flats of their own and their financial condition was bad, they had given fake documents."
Will file an appeal: Manikrao Kokate
The Kokate brothers had obtained two flats on College Road in Yeolakar Mala, Nashik, under the Chief Minister’s 10 per cent discretionary quota by falsely claiming they did not own any property and belonged to the Low-Income Group (LIG).
At the time, complainant Dighole approached the police, alleging irregularities. As a result, a case of cheating, forgery, and other offences under the Indian Penal Code was registered against the Kokate siblings and two others at Sarkarwada police station.
On Thursday, the Nashik district and sessions court convicted the two brothers, while the other two accused named in the FIR were acquitted.
Minister Kokate, who was present in court, told reporters, "I have obtained bail in the case and will file an appeal against the order."
(With agencies input)
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