A Nashik District Court sentenced Ajit Pawar-led NCP leader and Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate and his brother Vijay Kokate to two years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Thursday, after which he was granted bail in a case pertaining to the sale of a flat on the basis of fake documents.

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate was present in the court during the hearing and said that he plans to appeal the verdict in the High Court. After the sentence was pronounced, Kokate started the bail process through his lawyer.

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“A complaint against fraud was filed by the late Minister of State Tukaram Dighole. However, later I became good friends with him. At that time, I had just entered politics. I do not remember whether I was an MLA or not. However, after a legal case was filed, the process went on for 30 years and the court gave its verdict on Thursday,” Kokate said.

Manikrao Kokate was accused of purchasing a house from the government’s 10% quota by showing low income between 1995 and 1997. The then Additional District Magistrate had investigated and registered a case at the Sarkarwada police station. Later, Manikrao Kokate set up a business in the house he purchased using government subsidies meant for low-income people. The house is located at Nirman School View in the Canada Corner area of Nashik from where Kokate even started a milk dairy processing business. The business was inaugurated by the then Guardian Minister of Nashik, Girish Mahajan of the BJP, who happens to be a close confidant of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, sources said.

Minister Manikrao Kokate said that then Minister of State Tukaram Dighole had filed a case against him due to political enmity. “Because of that enmity, he informed the government and filed a case against me. The verdict came today after 30 years. I have done everything that can be done according to the law. Politically, there have been many such verdicts in the country. I am going to go to the High Court. Just as the court has the right to pronounce its verdict, I also have the right to seek justice as a citizen,” Manikrao Kokate said.

Legally, the Nashik District Court verdict has the potential to endanger Kokate’s ministerial position and MLA status, since according to the law, an elected representative who is sentenced to two years or more cannot remain in office. However, according to former Secretary of the Legislative Assembly Anant Kalse, Kokate has legal options available.

“The district court has sentenced Kokate to two years in prison. So he will definitely appeal against this in the High Court. If his sentence is stayed in the High Court, he might get relief and the sessions court sentence may not be implemented, but if no stay is granted, I think it is possible that his membership of the Maharashtra legislature may be threatened or he may even lose it. However, he also has the option of going to the Supreme Court if the High Court does not stay the sentence of the sessions court,” Anant Kalse said.