The Supreme Court on Tuesday instructed the Bombay High Court to dispose of the revision petition filed by former Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate within six months, while extending the stay on his conviction in a decades-old housing fraud case.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana issued the direction while continuing the relief previously granted to the Nationalist Congress Party leader. On December 22, the apex court had granted an interim stay on Kokate’s conviction, confirming that the ruling would safeguard him from disqualification as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Kokate represents the Sinnar constituency in Nashik district.
High Court Action and Political Fallout
The Supreme Court’s order follows proceedings in the Bombay High Court on December 19, 2025, where a judge suspended Kokate’s two-year prison term and granted him bail but refused to stay the conviction itself. The high court had reasoned that initial evidence indicated Kokate’s involvement in fraudulently obtaining government housing reserved for low-income citizens by submitting false affidavits. However, the court noted that his brief sentence and ongoing bail status during trial and lower-court appeals justified suspending the jail sentence.
The legal troubles triggered swift political consequences in Maharashtra. Opposition parties mounted severe pressure following the affirmation of his sentence by the Nashik sessions court on December 16, 2025. Kokate was stripped of his cabinet portfolios on December 17 and tendered his resignation from the state government on December 18. Late that same evening, a team from the Nashik police arrived in Bandra to execute an arrest warrant against him.
Origins of the Housing Fraud Case
The criminal case dates back to a government housing initiative implemented between 1989 and 1992. The welfare scheme was designed to provide affordable flats specifically to individuals belonging to the Economically Weaker Section, defined by an annual income ceiling of ₹30,000.
In February 2025, a magistrate court convicted Kokate and his brother of dishonest inducement, sentencing both to two years in prison for unlawfully securing property under the scheme. The Nashik sessions court subsequently rejected Kokate’s appeal on December 16, 2025.
In its ruling, the sessions court cited financial documentation, including bank loans taken for rabi and grape cultivation as well as records from the Kopargaon Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana. The court concluded that Kokate was a prosperous farmer whose actual earnings significantly exceeded the EWS income limit, making his application fraudulent. Kokate has maintained in his high court appeal that the conviction was illegal and arbitrary.
