Bombay High Court Grants Bail to NCP Leader Manikrao Kokate, Suspends Sentence in 1995 Cheating Case

The Bombay High Court on Friday granted bail to former Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Manikrao Kokate in a 1995 cheating and forgery case, while suspending his sentence. The court granted him bail on a personal surety of ₹1 lakh, citing the merits of the case and medical grounds, and stayed his arrest. However, it refused to stay his conviction, observing that prima facie evidence pointed to Kokate’s involvement.

Justice R. N. Laddha, while passing the order, noted that Kokate had remained on bail throughout the trial before the magistrate’s court and during the pendency of his appeal before the sessions court. The High Court also remarked that allowing a person convicted of a criminal offence to hold a cabinet position merely because the sentence is suspended would cause “grave and irreparable prejudice to public service.”

The court observed that since Kokate’s sentence was limited to two years, it was inclined to grant bail. Admitting his revision petition challenging the sessions court order that upheld his conviction, the High Court allowed the application for suspension of sentence subject to the deposit of a ₹1 lakh surety.

The order came a day after Kokate resigned from the Maharashtra Cabinet following his conviction in a housing scam by Nashik’s magistrate and district courts. Acting on the recommendation of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Kokate’s portfolios were withdrawn, and his resignation was accepted and forwarded to Governor Acharya Devvrat for further action.

Kokate’s counsel, senior advocate Ravi Kadam, informed the court that the NCP leader had been admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Bandra, where he underwent angiography and was scheduled for an SOS angioplasty. The bail plea, however, was opposed by public prosecutor Mankunwar Deshmukh.

Earlier this week, the Nashik district and sessions court upheld Kokate’s conviction, prompting Nashik police to reach Bandra late Thursday night to execute the arrest warrant. Kokate had resigned from the cabinet on Thursday night, where he held the sports and youth affairs portfolio.

The case against Kokate dates back to the period between 1989 and 1992 and relates to a government housing scheme meant for economically weaker sections, with an annual income cap of ₹30,000. He was accused of securing a flat under the scheme by submitting false affidavits regarding his income.

The magistrate’s court, relying on evidence including bank loans taken for grape and rabi crop cultivation and records from the Kopargaon Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana, held that Kokate was a prosperous farmer whose income exceeded the eligibility limit, leading to his conviction for cheating and forgery.