EWS housing scam case: Bombay HC suspends ex-Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate’s two-year sentence; bail granted, conviction stands

NEW DELHI: The Bombay High Court on Friday suspended a two-year sentence to former Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate in a case centred around cheating and forgery connected to a government housing scheme. It also granted bail to the NCP leader.

However, citing strong preliminary evidence of Kokate's involvement, the court refused to stay his conviction. Kokate was accused of submitting false income reports in order to secure a flat in a government EWS scheme.

"Permitting a person convicted of criminal offence (to hold a cabinet position) solely on account of suspended sentence would cause grave and irreparable prejudice to public service," said the court, as quoted by PTI. Justice R N Laddha's order also noted that Kokate remained on bail throughout the magistrate's court trial and during the sessions court appeal proceedings. The high court deemed it enough to grant bail, considering the brief duration of the sentence. "The application for suspension of sentence is allowed....The applicant has to deposit a sum of Rs one lakh as surety," ruled the HC while accepting Kokate's revision petition challenging the sessions court's verdict.

Ravi Kadam, representing Kokate, said that his client was at Lilavati hospital in Bandra for an angiography, with an urgent angioplasty scheduled for Friday afternoon. Public prosecutor Mankunwar Deshmukh contested the bail application.

This came after the Nashik district and sessions court upheld Kokate's conviction. He subsequently resigned from his position as sports and youth affairs minister in the Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday night. Nashik police arrived in Bandra late Thursday to execute the arrest warrant.

The core matter originated between 1989-1992, concerning an EWS housing scheme with Rs 30,000 as the annual income ceiling. The allegations claimed that Kokate acquired a flat in the scheme through false income declarations.

The magistrate court found evidence of his substantial income through bank loans for grape cultivation, rabi crops, and documentation from the Kopargaon Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana, indicating his earnings exceeded the scheme's limits.