Maharashtra Minister Steps Down Following Court Conviction
In a significant political development, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) minister Manikrao Kokate resigned from the Maharashtra state cabinet on Thursday. His resignation came directly in the wake of a sessions court upholding his conviction and a two-year rigorous imprisonment sentence in a 1995 Economically Weaker Section (EWS) housing quota cheating case.
The Legal Proceedings and Arrest Warrant
The sequence of events leading to the resignation began on December 16, when a Nashik sessions court confirmed the trial court's order from February 20. The court found Kokate and his brother, Vijay, guilty of fraudulently securing two flats in 1995 under the state's 10% EWS quota by declaring a lower income. The sessions court directed the trial court to execute the jail sentences.
Subsequently, on Wednesday, the Nashik additional chief judicial magistrate Rupali Narwadiya rejected a plea from Kokate's lawyer for a four-day surrender extension on humanitarian grounds, citing his admission to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital. The court then issued an arrest warrant against the minister and his brother.
Acting on the warrant, a 13-member Nashik police team, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Sandeep Mitke, departed for Mumbai around 5:30 PM on Thursday. Their mission was to take Kokate into custody and produce him before the court. Police officials stated they were aware of Kokate's hospitalization and were proceeding accordingly.
Political Fallout and Resignation Acceptance
The political machinery moved swiftly following the judicial order. Hours before the police action, Kokate was divested of all his ministerial portfolios. Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar addressed the situation on social media platform X. He stated that he had accepted Kokate's resignation in principle and forwarded it to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for "due consideration and acceptance, in accordance with the Constitutional procedure."
By Thursday night, officials at the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Office (CMO) confirmed that Kokate's resignation had been formally forwarded to the Governor, cementing his exit from the state cabinet.
Ongoing Police Action and Brother's Whereabouts
While the focus was on Minister Kokate, the police are also actively searching for his brother and co-accused, Vijay Kokate. A separate seven-member police squad from Nashik is pursuing leads to trace Vijay. A senior officer expressed confidence, stating, "A second team is working on the leads and has tracked him down. The team is after him. We expect to take him into custody soon."
The police team that reached Mumbai late Thursday did not immediately arrest Manikrao Kokate. Sources indicated that no arrest would be made while he remained hospitalized, even though his stay was reportedly against medical advice. The police had also visited the residence of his brother Vijay earlier but could not locate him.
This case, dating back nearly three decades, has reached a critical juncture, resulting in the abrupt end of a ministerial career and setting the stage for potential custodial action as the legal process runs its course.
