Court stays Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate's conviction in cheating case

A court in Nashik on Wednesday stayed the conviction of Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate in a cheating and forgery case of 1995 reported news agency PTIA magistrate court had on February 20 convicted the NCP leader and his brother Sunil Kokate and sentenced them to twoyear imprisonment in the cheating case pertaining to submitting fake documents to get flats under a government quota reported PTIThe brothers later filed an appeal seeking a stay on the magistrates order before District Judge 1 and Additional Sessions Judge Nashik N V Jiwane reported PTIThe sessions court on Wednesday allowed their appeal The detailed order was not available yetWhile the magistrate court last month convicted Manikrao Kokate and his brother it acquitted two others accused in the same cheating case registered in 1995 on a complaint of former minister late T S Dighole reported PTIAs per the prosecution Manikrao Kokate and his brother were allotted two flats meant for the Low Income Group LIG on College Road in Yeolakar Mala area of Nashik under the chief ministers 10 per cent discretionary quota reported PTITo be eligible they made false claims of belonging to the LIG category and not owning a house in the city it was allegedAfter Dighole approached the police a case of cheating forgery and other offences under the Indian Penal Code was registered against the Kokate brothers and two others at Sarkarwada police station in NashikLegislature or Guv to take decision on minister Kokate after court order FadnavisMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said a decision on state Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate convicted in a cheating case will be taken by the legislature or the governor after the courts order on the matterNCP MLA Kokate was last month convicted by a magistrates court in Nashik in the cheating case and sentenced to two years in jail A sessions court there later suspended his sentence and will give its decision on March 5 on Kokates plea seeking a stay on the magistrates orderLeader of Opposition in the state legislative council Ambadas Danve raised the matter in the House on Monday seeking to know what was the governments stand on itThe agriculture minister Kokate has been convicted and there has been no stay on the verdict by the higher court so far he saidWith inputs from PTI