Nashik court issues arrest warrant against Maharashtra minister Kokate in cheating, forgery case

Nashik, Dec 17 (PTI) In mounting trouble for Maharashtra Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate of the NCP, a court in Nashik district on Wednesday issued an arrest warrant against him in a cheating and forgery case dating back to 1995.

The development comes a day after the district court upheld the two-year jail term handed to Kokate by the magistrate's court in February this year.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kokate moved the Bombay High Court, challenging his conviction and the two-year jail term in the case. His lawyer mentioned the plea before a single bench of Justice R N Laddha, seeking an urgent hearing. The court, however, posted it for hearing on Friday.

The complaint in the cheating and forgery case was lodged by former Maharashtra minister, late T S Dighole.

On Wednesday, Anjali Dighole-Rathod, daughter of late Dighole, filed an application regarding Kokate's arrest in the matter. The minister was not present for the hearing.

Nashik District and Sessions Court Judge PM Badar then directed Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Rupali Nadvadia to take action in the case.

Following the direction, the ACJM issued an arrest warrant against the minister.

Nashik police will initiate further action in the matter.

A magistrate's court on February 20 convicted the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and his brother Vijay, and sentenced them to two-year imprisonment in the case pertaining to submission of fake documents to get flats under state government quota.

On the duo's appeal, on March 5, a sessions court stayed their conviction.

The magistrate's court had also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the Kokate brothers.

The siblings later filed an appeal, seeking a stay on the magistrate's conviction order, before Additional Sessions Judge N V Jeevane, who allowed their plea and granted them bail. The judge also stayed the implementation of the sentence till conclusion of hearing on the appeal.

While the magistrate's court had convicted Kokate and his brother, it acquitted two other accused in the same case, registered in 1995.

As per the prosecution, 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 complainant Dighole approached the police, a case of cheating, forgery and other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the Kokate brothers and two others (who were later acquitted) at the Sarkarwada police station in Nashik. PTI COR RSY NP