Maharashtra Minister's Jail Sentence Suspended in 1995 Document Forgery Case

A Nashik court has suspended a two-year jail sentence for Maharashtra Minister Manikrao Kokate in a 1995 document forgery case. Kokate and his brother are appealing the conviction and were granted bail. They allegedly submitted fake documents to obtain government-quota flats, leading to a 1995 police complaint.

A Nashik court has temporarily halted the execution of a two-year prison term handed to Maharashtra Minister Manikrao Kokate, involved in a decades-old document forgery case. The 1995 case accused Kokate of using fraudulent documents to acquire government-quota flats.

On Tuesday, the court is set to deliberate on an appeal filed by Kokate, a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, and his brother, who are contesting their convictions. The earlier verdict was issued in February, convicting them while acquitting two others involved in the case brought forward by the late T S Dighole, a former minister.

The brothers, currently granted bail after submitting personal and surety bonds, face allegations of improperly securing low-income group flats under a discretionary governmental quota. A complaint to the police in 1995 led to charges of cheating and forgery under Indian Penal Code provisions.