The Bombay High Court on Tuesday chose not to overturn a decision made by a Nashik sessions court that stayed the conviction of Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate. Kokate was previously found guilty in a 1995 case involving allegations of cheating and forgery.
The challenge to the Nashik sessions court’s March 5 ruling, which suspended Kokate’s conviction, was brought forth by Anjali Rathod. Rathod is the daughter of the late Tukaram Dighole, a former minister who initially lodged complaints against Kokate and his brother, Sunil Kokate.
During the proceedings, presided over by Justice R N Laddha, Kokate’s legal representative, Aniket Nikam, argued that Rathod’s petition was not admissible since she was not the original complainant in the case, and thus lacked the standing to challenge the decision.
The High Court, affirming its stance, decided it was not appropriate to intervene at this juncture. The court has scheduled further hearings for April 21, issuing notices to the respondents, which include the state government and the Kokate brothers.
Earlier on February 20, a magistrate court in Nashik district had sentenced the Kokate brothers, both affiliated with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), to two years of imprisonment for submitting falsified documents to obtain government quota flats.
