Maharashtra minister Manikrao Kokate gets two years' jail term in 30-year-old cheating case
Nashik, Feb 20 (PTI): Maharashtra Agriculture Minister and NCP leader Manikrao Kokate was on Thursday sentenced to two years' imprisonment by a court here in a 1995 case where he was charged with submitting fake documents to get flats under a government quota.
The minister told reporters later that the court had granted him bail, and he would move the High Court against the judgement.
The Nashik district and sessions court also convicted his brother Sunil Kokate in the same case, registered in 1995 on the complaint of former minister, late T S Dighole. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the two brothers.
The court acquitted two other accused in the case
Kokate could possibly attract disqualification as an MLA if he does not get any relief from the high court.
Talking to reporters, the minister said the case was filed by Dighole with whom he had political enmity.
"I have decided to file an appeal against the verdict. We will do everything in accordance with the law....we will go to the High Court. I have been granted bail by the sessions court," he said.
As per the prosecution, Kokate and his brother were allotted two flats meant for the Low Income Group (LIG) on College Road in Yeolakar Mala area here under the Chief Minister's 10 per cent discretionary quota. To be eligible, they made false claims of belonging to the LIG category and not owning a house in the city, it was alleged.
After Dighole approached the police, a case of cheating, forgery and other offences under the Indian Penal Code was registered against the Kokate brothers and two others at Sarkarwada police station here.
The rival NCP (SP) demanded that Kokate should resign following the verdict.
He would be the second minister of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP in the BJP-led state government to find himself in trouble. NCP leader and cabinet minister Dhananjay Munde is facing the heat after his close aide was arrested in an extortion case related to the brutal murder of a village sarpanch in Beed district in December 2024.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
