Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad and anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania on Wednesday demanded the immediate removal of Maharashtra Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate from the state cabinet after a sessions court upheld his conviction in a cheating and forgery case.
Gaikwad accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of protecting the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader despite the court confirming his two-year jail sentence in a case dating back to 1995.
‘Arrogance of power’: Gaikwad
Gaikwad said Kokate’s continuation as a minister reflected the “arrogance of power” and questioned whether the state government was deliberately turning a blind eye to the court order.
She also alleged that the ruling alliance was following double standards while dealing with convictions of opposition leaders and those in power.
In a post on social media platform X, Gaikwad asked why swift action is taken against opposition leaders but not against ministers in the government.
“Action is taken within 24 hours when opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Sunil Kedar are convicted. Why is a different yardstick being applied in Kokate’s case?” she wrote.
Damania questions Manikrao Kokate’s reported admission at hospital
Anti-corruption activist Anjali Damania on Sunday questioned Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate’s reported admission to a Mumbai hospital.
In a post on social media platform X, Damania referred to Kokate as an “economically weak” minister and raised doubts about how he accessed treatment at a premium hospital. She further pointed to details mentioned in Kokate’s election affidavit, stating that it declares assets worth Rs 48.35 crore, and remarked sarcastically on the claim of economic vulnerability.
आर्थिक दुर्बल मंत्री माणिकराव कोकाटे हे श्रीमंतांच्या लिलावती रुग्णालयात कसे काय दाखल झाले?
बरं ह्या आर्थिक दुर्बल कोकटेंच्या निवडणुकीच्या प्रतिज्ञापत्रात फक्त ४८.३५ कोटीची संपत्ती आहे.
किती आर्थिक दुर्बल आणि गरीब आहेत हे.
— Mrs Anjali Damania (@anjali_damania) December 17, 2025
Her comments have triggered fresh political reactions online, with opposition voices amplifying questions around public representatives’ declarations of assets and access to elite healthcare facilities. There has been no official response from Kokate at the time of reporting.
Minister absent from cabinet meet
Kokate was not present at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday, though no official reason was given for his absence.
Gaikwad said the rule of law was being compromised for political convenience and reiterated her demand for Kokate’s immediate dismissal from the cabinet.
Court upheld conviction
In a major setback for Maharashtra Sports Minister Manikrao Kokate of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), a court in Nashik on Tuesday upheld the two-year prison sentence awarded to him in a cheating and forgery case dating back to 1995, reported the PTI.
The case relates to the alleged submission of fake documents to obtain flats under the state government’s quota. A magistrate’s court had on February 20 convicted Kokate and his brother Vijay Kokate, sentencing both to two years’ imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 50,000 each.
On Tuesday, Nashik District and Sessions Court Judge P M Badar upheld the jail term awarded by the magistrate’s court. The judge observed that the flat obtained by Kokate was not as per prescribed norms and that the state government had been deceived in the process, according to the PTI.
Earlier, on February 20, a magistrate’s court had convicted Kokate and his brother Vijay for submitting false documents to obtain government quota flats.
(with PTI inputs)
