Mumbai: In a recent development, opposition leaders from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have called for the immediate disqualification of Maharashtra’s Agriculture Minister, Manikrao Kokate. This demand follows a Nashik district court’s verdict sentencing Kokate and his brother, Vijay Kokate, to two years in prison for forgery and cheating related to the illegal acquisition of government flats under the Chief Minister’s discretionary quota. Both were also fined Rs.50,000 each.
The court found that in 1995, the Kokate brothers submitted fraudulent documents to obtain two flats reserved for individuals without prior property ownership. This conviction has intensified political tensions within the state.
During a meeting of the state legislature’s Business Advisory Committee, MVA leaders pressed for Kokate’s immediate removal from his ministerial position. Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, affiliated with the ruling BJP, responded by stating he had not yet received the certified court order and would make a decision upon its receipt, adhering to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) guidelines.
Jitendra Awhad, an MLA and leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the assembly, submitted a letter to Speaker Narwekar, emphasizing the urgency of disqualifying Kokate. Awhad highlighted a precedent where Congress MLA Sunil Kedar was disqualified within 24 hours following his conviction for financial irregularities in a district co-operative bank in December 2023.
Awhad expressed his concerns to the media, stating, “How can a minister who has been sentenced to jail by a court continue in the cabinet? When Congress leader Sunil Kedar was convicted, Narwekar disqualified him the very next day of the court’s order. In Kokate’s case, he has not taken any action for over three days and is merely saying that he is awaiting a copy of the court order.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and party MP Sanjay Raut also demanded Kokate’s immediate disqualification. Raut, however, voiced skepticism regarding Speaker Narwekar’s impartiality, referencing his previous decisions in similar cases.
In response, Speaker Narwekar maintained that he is awaiting the certified court order before proceeding. He emphasized his commitment to following legal protocols, stating, “People like Sanjay Raut have no knowledge of the law and the notification of the Election Commission dated October 13, 2015. As per that notification, it is mandatory for the law-enforcement agencies to submit a certified copy of the court order to the state legislature within seven days of the verdict. After receiving the copy, the decision on disqualification has to be delivered in the next seven days. I will prove Raut wrong and deliver justice.”
The Representation of the People Act, 1951, particularly Section 8(3), stipulates that any elected representative convicted of an offense and sentenced to imprisonment for two years or more shall be disqualified from the date of conviction. This legal framework aims to uphold the integrity of public offices and ensure that individuals with serious criminal convictions do not serve as lawmakers.
Minister Kokate has announced his intention to appeal the conviction in the higher courts. As the situation unfolds, the political climate in Maharashtra remains tense, with both the ruling party and the opposition closely monitoring the developments surrounding Kokate’s potential disqualification.
