Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate has been sentenced to two years in prison by a Nashik district court in connection with a 30-year-old fraud and document tampering case. The conviction pertains to the illegal acquisition of two flats under the Chief Minister’s discretionary quota.

The court found Manikrao Kokate and his brother, Sunil Kokate, guilty of forgery in securing two flats in Nirman View Apartment, located on College Road in Yeolekar Mala, Nashik. The fraud case dates back to 1995 and was originally filed by former minister Tukaram Dighole, who accused the Kokate brothers of manipulating documents to wrongfully obtain government-allocated housing.

The court also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on Manikrao Kokate, a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The district and sessions court in Nashik delivered the verdict on February 20, 2025, convicting both brothers, while two others named in the FIR were acquitted.

Following the verdict, Kokate confirmed that he had secured bail and intended to appeal the decision. Speaking to the media, he stated, “I have obtained bail in the case and will file an appeal against the order.”

The case centres around forged documents submitted by the Kokate brothers, who falsely claimed to be low-income group (LIG) applicants with no other property ownership. This misrepresentation allowed them to illegally acquire the flats under the government’s 10% discretionary quota. However, later investigations exposed the fraud, revealing that the brothers manipulated their financial records to gain undue benefits.

Tukaram Dighole, the complainant in the case, was a three-time MLA and former Congress leader. He had contested against Kokate in the 1999 elections, where Kokate secured his first MLA term under the Shiv Sena banner. Dighole passed away in 2019.

This conviction comes at a time when Kokate is already facing scrutiny over his controversial remarks about the ₹1 crop insurance scheme. Speaking at a meeting in Amravati on February 15, 2025, Kokate remarked, “Even beggars don’t accept one rupee in alms, but the government is giving crop insurance for this sum, and even this is being misused.”

The ₹1 crop insurance scheme has been embroiled in allegations of fraud, with reports stating that over 400,000 insurance applications were rejected due to fraudulent claims. While Kokate acknowledged that some applicants falsely claimed non-agricultural land as farmland to obtain insurance benefits, he asserted that no actual financial loss occurred, as no funds were disbursed for the bogus applications.

Despite the irregularities, Kokate insisted that the government would continue the scheme with necessary reforms rather than scrapping it altogether. Addressing concerns, he stated, “These rejected applications may have been turned down due to erroneous entries, but the scheme has been beneficial overall. Unfortunately, it was turned into a scam by certain elements.”

With this two-year prison sentence, Kokate’s ministerial position and legislative membership are now at risk. According to Indian law, any elected representative sentenced to two or more years in prison is disqualified from holding office.

Kokate, a five-time MLA from Sinnar in Nashik district, has had a dynamic political career. He initially rose through the ranks of Shiv Sena, later aligned with Congress, and eventually joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Following the NCP’s split, he sided with Ajit Pawar, which led to his appointment as Agriculture Minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led government.

As he prepares to appeal the verdict, Kokate faces mounting pressure within his party and from opposition leaders, making this a crucial issue in his political career.