Nashik (Maharashtra) [India]: The Nashik District Court on Thursday sentenced Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate and his brother Sunil Kokate to two years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹50,000 each in a forgery case.
The case dates back to 1995 when the brothers were accused of document forgery and fraud related to a government housing scheme. Former Minister Tukaram Dighole had filed a petition against them, alleging that they misrepresented their income to purchase a house under the government’s quota.
The complaint was lodged at the Government Wada police station in Nashik, and the case has been ongoing in court since 1997. The court has now delivered its final verdict.
According to the case details, between 1995 and 1997, Manikrao Kokate and Sunil Kokate obtained flats under a government housing scheme by falsely claiming a lower income and stating that they did not own any property. However, later investigations raised concerns about irregularities in their claims.
A case was registered under Section 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 471 (using forged documents), and 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc.) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
There were four accused in the case, including the Kokate brothers and two others. However, the court did not sentence the other two accused.