Maharashtra minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Manikrao Kokate has resigned from the state cabinet following a court verdict that upheld his conviction and two-year prison sentence in a cheating and forgery case.
The resignation was confirmed on Thursday by NCP president and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
In a statement, Ajit Pawar said Kokate’s resignation letter has been forwarded to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for further action, reported the PTI.
Maharashtra Governor accepts request to allot Kokate’s portfolio to Pawar
Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat on Wednesday accepted the request to allot state minister Manikrao Kokate’s portfolio to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
The decision comes after Kokate’s conviction by the sessions court in Nashik.
Kokate, a cabinet minister in the Mahayuti government, was recently convicted and sentenced to two years in prison in a housing quota irregularities case.
After the conviction was upheld by a sessions court, pressure mounted on the state government to remove him from ministerial responsibilities.
Manikrao Kokate, an MLA from Sinnar in Nashik district, had previously held important portfolios, including the agriculture ministry, before being shifted to the sports ministry after an earlier controversy.
Party stresses supremacy of law
Ajit Pawar said the resignation followed the court verdict and underlined that the rule of law is above individuals.
“Kokate tendered his resignation to me, which has been accepted in principle, in keeping with the party’s long-standing belief that laws and rules are paramount,” Pawar said, according to the PTI.
He added that public life must be guided by constitutional morality, institutional integrity and respect for the judiciary.
NCP says have faith in judiciary
The NCP president said that the party has full faith in the legal process and remains committed to maintaining law and order, while protecting democratic values and public trust, as per the PTI.
Court verdict in 1995 case
On Tuesday, the Nashik district and sessions court upheld the order of a judicial magistrate, confirming Kokate’s two-year imprisonment and a fine of ₹50,000 in a 1995 cheating and forgery case related to a government housing scheme.
After rejecting his appeal, the court also issued an arrest warrant against Kokate on Wednesday.
(with PTI inputs)
