But Lets Them Retain EWS Flats Secured In 1995 File photo Pune/Nashik: Conviction over securing a flat under a 10% EWS quota in 1995 by showing lower income has put a question mark over Manikrao Kokate’s continuation as an MLA and as a Maharashtra cabinet minister. A Nashik sessions court upheld Tuesday a Feb 20 trial court judgment convicting and sentencing the sports minister and NCP functionary, along with his brother Vijay Kokate, to two years of rigorous imprisonment in the housing quota cheating case. The siblings had secured two flats. The court, however, set aside the trial court’s direction to Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority and deputy collector to cancel the allotment of flats to the Kokate brothers and restore possession as earlier.IPL Auction 2026IPL Auction 2026: Full list of sold and unsold players for all teamsIPL 2026 team and squad List: Updated players for all 10 Teams; who got whomKokate represents Sinnar in rural Nashik. The ruling triggers the risk of “immediate disqualification” under the Representation of the People Act for sentences of two years or more, unless a higher court stays the conviction.Public prosecutor Sudhir Kotwal said the matter must now go to the high court. “Under the law, Kokate’s disqualification is certain unless he gets a suspension of his sentence and a stay on his conviction from the high court. Even with urgent circulation, this may take eight to 10 days. There is no bar on disqualification in the intervening period,” Kotwal said.Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar said he had not yet received the order. Supreme Court ruling from 2013 states disqualification is immediate, despite a three-month window to appeal. Relief comes only if conviction itself is stayed.Kokate’s lawyer Avinash Bhide disagreed. “We have a month’s time to secure a stay and suspension from the high court. Even after that, the matter goes before the speaker,” Bhide said.After the trial court ruling, Kokate had secured bail and on March 5, a sessions court stay on conviction and sentence during pendency of appeal. That protection has lapsed. “Once a sessions court confirms conviction in appeal, it has no power to grant bail. The matter goes to the high court,” Kotwal said.The prosecution said the brothers applied for flats under the EWS quota, declaring annual income of Rs 25,000 each, below the Rs 30,000 eligibility ceiling. “Allotment relied on affidavits. When falsity emerged, onus lay on the deponents to prove otherwise,” Kotwal said. Prosecutors said Kokate failed to disclose improved finances even by 1995, citing documents showing supplies of 70 tonnes, 80 tonnes and 120 tonnes of sugarcane in 1993, 1994 and 1995 to the Kopargaon cooperative sugar mill, yielding substantial earnings. “This line weighed with the sessions court while affirming conviction and sentence,” Kotwal said. Opposition parties accused BJP-headed govt of double standards, citing the swift disqualification of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi after his 2023 defamation conviction and contrasting it with the continued tenure of Kokate. “Govt should immediately dismiss Kokate,” Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal said. NCP state president Sunil Tatkare said the party would decide its next course of action after discussing the ruling with party chief and deputy CM Ajit Pawar.About the AuthorVishwas KothariVishwas Kothari is a special correspondent at The Times of India, Pune. He covers news relating to the education and aviation sectors in Pune. Vishwas has a degree in Mass Communication from Nagpur University, and has participated in the US Government’s International Visitors’ (IV) Fellowship Programme on `Urban Environmental Issues’ in 2005. He writes on crime, courts and legal jurisprudence, defence and corporate affairs too. He loves sports and movies and gorges on infotainment magazines.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosPM Modi Holds Talks With Abiy Ahmed Ali, India-Ethiopia Ties Elevated To Strategic PartnershipLok Sabha Erupts Over MGNREGA: Priyanka Gandhi, Tharoor Slam VB‑G RAM G Bill, Shivraj Singh RespondsEx-Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan’s ‘Op Sindoor’ Remark Sparks Row, BJP Hits BackFrom Jordan To Ethiopia: How PM Modi’s Viral Car Diplomacy Is Redefining Diplomatic OpticsBondi Beach Shooting: Terrorists’ Origin Mystery Deepens As Indian Passport, Hyderabad Link EmergesIn Israel, Jaishankar Condoles Sydney Attack Targeting Jews, Sends Zero Tolerance on Terror MessagePM Modi Lands In Addis Ababa, Indian Diaspora In Ethiopia Awaits To Meet PMFrom Kolkata Chaos to Delhi Celebration: Lionel Messi’s G.O.A.T India Tour At A GlancePM Modi Pitches New Economic Corridor As King Abdullah Praises India’s Growth At Jordan Forum MeetPriyanka Gandhi Targets VB-G RAM G Bill Over MGNREGA, Blasts Centre’s Name Change Tactics123Photostories4 common fruits and their parts to avoid and why9 fruits and vegetables that are the best sources of ironFrom frilled lizards to Mandrills: 5 cool animals that stand out from the othersHow to make Beetroot Pulao for weekday dinner during winterIs Your Ruling Planet Upset With You? 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Pune/Nashik: Conviction over securing a flat under a 10% EWS quota in 1995 by showing lower income has put a question mark over Manikrao Kokate’s continuation as an MLA and as a Maharashtra cabinet minister. A Nashik sessions court upheld Tuesday a Feb 20 trial court judgment convicting and sentencing the sports minister and NCP functionary, along with his brother Vijay Kokate, to two years of rigorous imprisonment in the housing quota cheating case. The siblings had secured two flats. The court, however, set aside the trial court’s direction to Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority and deputy collector to cancel the allotment of flats to the Kokate brothers and restore possession as earlier.Kokate represents Sinnar in rural Nashik. The ruling triggers the risk of “immediate disqualification” under the Representation of the People Act for sentences of two years or more, unless a higher court stays the conviction.Public prosecutor Sudhir Kotwal said the matter must now go to the high court. “Under the law, Kokate’s disqualification is certain unless he gets a suspension of his sentence and a stay on his conviction from the high court. Even with urgent circulation, this may take eight to 10 days. There is no bar on disqualification in the intervening period,” Kotwal said.Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar said he had not yet received the order. Supreme Court ruling from 2013 states disqualification is immediate, despite a three-month window to appeal. Relief comes only if conviction itself is stayed.Kokate’s lawyer Avinash Bhide disagreed. “We have a month’s time to secure a stay and suspension from the high court. Even after that, the matter goes before the speaker,” Bhide said.After the trial court ruling, Kokate had secured bail and on March 5, a sessions court stay on conviction and sentence during pendency of appeal. That protection has lapsed. “Once a sessions court confirms conviction in appeal, it has no power to grant bail. The matter goes to the high court,” Kotwal said.The prosecution said the brothers applied for flats under the EWS quota, declaring annual income of Rs 25,000 each, below the Rs 30,000 eligibility ceiling. “Allotment relied on affidavits. When falsity emerged, onus lay on the deponents to prove otherwise,” Kotwal said. Prosecutors said Kokate failed to disclose improved finances even by 1995, citing documents showing supplies of 70 tonnes, 80 tonnes and 120 tonnes of sugarcane in 1993, 1994 and 1995 to the Kopargaon cooperative sugar mill, yielding substantial earnings. “This line weighed with the sessions court while affirming conviction and sentence,” Kotwal said. Opposition parties accused BJP-headed govt of double standards, citing the swift disqualification of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi after his 2023 defamation conviction and contrasting it with the continued tenure of Kokate. “Govt should immediately dismiss Kokate,” Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal said. NCP state president Sunil Tatkare said the party would decide its next course of action after discussing the ruling with party chief and deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
