Cheating case: Court suspends minister Manikrao Kokate's 2-yr jail sentence

Mumbai: A court in Nashik has suspended the two-year jail sentence imposed on Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate in a 1995 case, where he was charged with submitting fake documents to get flats under a government quota.

The court will on Tuesday hear an appeal of the minister, who is an NCP leader and present agriculture minister, and his brother Sunil Kokate against their conviction in the case.

The Nashik district and sessions court on February 20 convicted both of them and acquitted two others accused in the case, registered in 1995 on the complaint of former minister, late T S Dighole.

The court had then also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the two brothers.

The minister and his brother on Monday filed the appeal against the conviction before District Judge-1 and Additional Sessions Judge (Nashik) N V Jiwane.

The judge allowed their another plea for suspension of the sentence, and sought a response from the prosecution on their appeal against the conviction.

The court also granted them bail on furnishing a personal bond and surety bond of Rs 1 lakh each, until their appeal against conviction in the case is decided.

As 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 minister's 10 per cent discretionary quota.

To be eligible, they made false claims of belonging to the LIG category and not owning a house in the city, it was alleged.

After 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 Nashik.