Maharashtra Minister Challenges Conviction, Faces Jail Term in Forgery Case

Maharashtra Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate is contesting his conviction and two-year jail sentence in a 1995 case of cheating and forgery. The appeal is set for a hearing following a Nashik court's decision to uphold the conviction for deceit in a government housing scheme.

In a critical legal development, Maharashtra Sports Minister and NCP leader Manikrao Kokate has challenged his conviction in a 1995 forgery and cheating case. Kokate's two-year jail term is at stake, as his counsel seeks a hearing before the Bombay High Court aimed at overturning this pivotal ruling.

Counsel Aniket Nikam advanced Kokate's plea to Justice R N Laddha for urgent adjudication, aiming to forestall any negative impact on Kokate's ministerial position. However, a request to stay the conviction was notably absent, leaving the court set to deliberate on the suspension of conviction charges later this week.

The focal point of the case is Kokate's alleged manipulation of a state housing scheme, where he purportedly falsified income details to unjustly secure residential benefits meant for the economically disadvantaged. Despite a Dilatory appeal, the Nashik District and Sessions Court Judge reinforced the original conviction, escalating the legal stakes for Kokate as political implications loom.