The Maharashtra government found itself in fresh political turbulence on Tuesday after a sessions court in Nashik upheld the two-year prison sentence awarded to state Sports Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Manikrao Kokate in a decades-old case involving the illegal acquisition of a government flat through forged documents. The ruling has immediately cast doubt on Kokate’s eligibility to continue as a legislator and member of the Cabinet, triggering renewed debate over political accountability and the legal consequences of criminal convictions among elected representatives.
Under Indian law, any Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) sentenced to two years or more in prison is automatically disqualified from holding elected office or contesting elections. This provision, rooted in Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, was strengthened by a landmark Supreme Court judgment in 2013, which removed the protective window previously available to convicted lawmakers to retain their seats while appealing their verdicts. With Kokate now facing a confirmed two-year sentence, his continuance in office hinges on whether a higher court grants a stay on his conviction.
The case dates back nearly three decades. In 1995, former Maharashtra minister Tukaram Dighole filed a complaint accusing Kokate and his brother, Sunil Kokate, of fraudulently acquiring two flats in the Nirman View Apartment complex in Nashik under the chief minister’s discretionary housing quota. The prosecution alleged that the brothers falsely declared themselves as belonging to the low-income group and claimed they did not own any other property, thereby qualifying for the subsidised allotment. Investigators later concluded that the documents submitted in support of the application were forged.
In February this year, a Nashik district court convicted Kokate and sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment along with a fine of ₹50,000. His brother was similarly convicted. Kokate challenged the verdict, but the sessions court upheld the conviction and sentence, although it set aside the order directing him to return the flat to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). Kokate has been granted one month to approach the Bombay High Court, making the coming weeks decisive for his political survival.
The complainant, Dighole — a three-time MLA and former Congress leader — had a long-standing political rivalry with Kokate, having lost the 1999 Assembly election to him. Dighole passed away in 2019, but the legal battle continued through the courts, culminating in the present ruling.
Kokate is a five-time MLA from Sinnar in Nashik district and has had a politically fluid career, moving between the Shiv Sena and the Congress before aligning with the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the NCP. Following the split in the party, he sided with Ajit Pawar and was inducted into the Devendra Fadnavis-led government, initially holding the agriculture portfolio before being reassigned as Sports Minister.
His ministerial tenure, however, has been repeatedly overshadowed by controversy. Earlier this year, Kokate drew sharp criticism for remarks on the Re 1 crop insurance scheme, suggesting that even beggars would not accept such a small amount in alms and implying misuse of the programme. While officials later confirmed that over four lakh applications had been rejected due to irregularities, Kokate maintained that no financial loss had occurred because payouts were not made on invalid claims.
He again attracted backlash in April after accusing farmers of deliberately defaulting on crop loans in anticipation of loan waivers, comments that were widely seen as insensitive in a state grappling with agrarian distress. In July, another controversy erupted after a video circulated on social media appeared to show him playing an online card game on his phone inside the Assembly. Kokate denied the allegation, claiming he was attempting to access a video platform and that the game had been pre-installed on the device. The explanation failed to quell criticism, and in August he was removed from the agriculture portfolio and shifted to the sports ministry.
The latest court ruling now places Kokate’s political future in serious jeopardy and raises fresh questions for the ruling coalition about governance standards and public perception. If the conviction stands without a stay, Kokate could face immediate disqualification as an MLA, potentially forcing a by-election and prompting political recalibration within the NCP and the state government.
Beyond the individual case, the development underscores the enduring impact of judicial reforms aimed at cleansing politics of criminality. As courts increasingly enforce disqualification norms, political parties face mounting pressure to balance electoral considerations with institutional integrity. For Maharashtra’s government, the episode is a reminder that unresolved legal cases involving senior leaders can swiftly evolve into broader credibility challenges.
By FCCT Editorial Team
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