National News
Housing fraud case: Ajit Pawar accepts NCP minister Manikrao Kokate’s resignation, forwards it to CM
Mumbai, Dec 18: Amid a chorus from the opposition, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar on Thursday accepted the resignation of party minister Manikrao Kokate, against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in a housing fraud case.
Kokate had submitted his resignation to DCM Pawar on Wednesday after a sessions court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment in the Nashik housing fraud case.
On Wednesday night, Kokate was stripped of his Sports and Minority Affairs portfolios and was retained as a minister without any portfolio.
Kokate is currently undergoing medical examination at Lilavati Hospital after he complained of uneasiness. He has already approached the Bombay High Court seeking relief from the sessions court ruling.
In a post on X, Ajit Pawar said: “Maharashtra Cabinet Minister and my party colleague Shri Manikrao Kokate has submitted his resignation to me following the outcome of the Hon’ble Court’s verdict. In keeping with our party’s long-standing philosophy that the rule of law is supreme and above all individuals, the resignation has been accepted in principle. I have forwarded Shri Kokate’s resignation to the Hon’ble Chief Minister for due consideration and acceptance, in accordance with constitutional procedure.”
He further stated: “Our party has always believed that public life must be guided by constitutional morality, institutional integrity and respect for the judiciary. We stand firmly by the rule of law and will continue to act in a manner that upholds democratic values and public trust.”
Pawar took the decision after holding a meeting lasting over two-and-a-half hours early Thursday morning with party working president Praful Patel and state chief Sunil Tatkare.
Manikrao Kokate is a five-time MLA from the Sinnar constituency in Nashik district and has a history of shifting political loyalties. His membership of the legislature could also be at risk if the High Court upholds the sessions court ruling.
The sessions court upheld his conviction in a case involving the illegal acquisition of government flats through forged documents and sentenced him to two years of imprisonment. Following the verdict, an arrest warrant was issued against Kokate.
He faces imminent arrest unless the High Court grants a stay on the conviction.
Amid these legal developments, Kokate’s health condition deteriorated and he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai. He skipped the weekly cabinet meeting held on Wednesday at Mantralaya.
Kokate’s legal team informed the court that he was admitted to a hospital and sought a four-day stay on the arrest. However, the court rejected the plea, noting that no medical certificate was presented and that Kokate should have been present when the verdict was delivered.
Kokate has moved the Mumbai High Court challenging the sessions court ruling and has sought an urgent hearing and a stay on the sentence.
The High Court is scheduled to hear the matter on Friday.
The case dates back to 1995 and involves the alleged misappropriation of flats reserved under the Chief Minister’s quota. These flats are meant for low-income individuals who do not own property elsewhere.
Manikrao Kokate and his brother Vijay Kokate were accused of submitting fraudulent affidavits and documents to acquire two flats in the Nirman View Apartment in Nashik.
Investigations later revealed that the brothers were also using two additional flats in the same building that had been allotted to other beneficiaries.
Based on an inquiry conducted by the district administration, Vishwanath Patil, then an official of the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) department, filed a complaint. Subsequently, a fraud case was registered at Sarkarwada Police Station against four individuals, including the Kokate brothers.
The court sentenced them to two years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each.
Since his induction into the cabinet, Kokate has been embroiled in several controversies.
He was stripped of the Agriculture portfolio after the monsoon session of the state legislature in July, following allegations by NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar that Kokate was playing games on his mobile phone during a Legislative Council session. While Kokate denied the allegation, it drew widespread criticism.
He also triggered outrage with controversial remarks on farmers, stating: “Even a beggar does not accept one rupee, but here we provide crop insurance for just one rupee, yet some people try to take undue advantage of it.”
During a municipal election campaign, Kokate had also taken a swipe at coalition partner BJP, calling it a “corrupt party” (batlela paksha) that survives by breaking other parties while sidelining its own workers.
Earlier this year, another NCP minister, Dhananjay Munde, had resigned after his aide Walmik Karad was linked to the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district.
National News
Professor Dr. Qazi Rashid Anwar Appointed AYUSH Advisor for Unani Medicine, Anjuman-e-Islam Congratulates

In a major development in the field of medicine and the promotion of Unani system of treatment, the Government of Maharashtra has nominated Prof. (Dr.) Qazi Rashid Anwar, Principal of Dr. Muhammad Ishaq Gymkhana Wala Tabiya Unani Medical College and Haji A. R. Kalsekar Tabiya Hospital (Versova, Mumbai) under Anjuman-e-Islam, to the prestigious post of Advisor on Unani Medicine (Advisor, Unani Expert) in Directorate of AYUSH, Government of Maharashtra. The appointment was formally approved by the Hon’ble Minister for Medical Education, Hon’ble Hasan Musharraf and Director of AYUSH, Dr. (Vidya) Raman Ghongralikar, felicitating Prof. Dr. Rashid Qazi on the issuance of the official order.
On this important honor, the President of Anjuman-e-Islam, a leading educational institution of the subcontinent, Padma Shri Dr. Zaheer I. Qazi, Vice President Mr. Mushtaq Antola, General Secretary Mr. Aqeel Hafeez and other members of the association as well as the Chairman of this college Imran Furniture Wala have congratulated Professor Dr. Rashid Qazi and expressed their best wishes for his new responsibility. The Arbab-e-Anjuman said that this appointment is not only a source of pride and joy for the institution but also augurs a bright future for Unani medicine in the state.
It should be noted that at present, a total of seven Unani medical colleges, including 3 government-aided (aided) colleges, are providing education and treatment services in Maharashtra, but despite this wider network, there was no expert or regular officer of Unani medicine in the Directorate of AYUSH, Government of Maharashtra, due to which a long-standing gap was being felt in policy making and technical guidance. In addition, the Maharashtra government has recently approved the establishment of the first government Unani Medical College with 100 seats and a 100-bed hospital in Savar village, Mahsala taluka (Raigad district), for which the guidance of a qualified expert was indispensable for its educational and technical formation. In this context, this step of the Maharashtra government is being viewed with great appreciation and hope in the medical community.
The President and members of Anjuman-e-Islam have expressed the hope that the vast teaching and administrative experiences of Professor Rashid Qazi, including the project of the new government college, will give a new prestige and a new dimension to Unani medicine across the state.
National News
Saini narrates his rise from computer operator to Haryana CM

In 1996, while operating a computer at the BJP office in Panchkula, Nayab Singh Saini had never imagined that he would one day become the Chief Minister of Haryana.
Years later came an electoral defeat in 2009 but a decisive victory in 2014 and eventually opportunities to serve as a minister, a Member of Parliament, the state BJP President and now the Chief Minister.
Sharing his journey with young entrepreneurs at the ‘Gen-H Yuva Udyami Chaupal’ in Gurugram University in Gurugram on Friday, CM Saini said there were no shortcuts in his journey, only the steady climb of hard work.
Referring to the young participants as Gen-H, the Chief Minister gave the expression a wider meaning. “You call it Gen-H for Haryana; I would call it Gen-HB — Haryana-Bharat. Gen-HB is the heartbeat of India,” he said.
In a candid interaction, young entrepreneurs asked the Chief Minister direct questions about advancing in politics without a legacy, recovering from failure, technology, sports, employment, the challenge of drug abuse, startups, the pace of government functioning and family.
The programme was watched live across more than 4,000 institutions. Drawing from his own experiences, the Chief Minister urged young people not to allow failure to become their identity, but to let their work define them.
Rather than chasing quick success, he asked them to make consistency, credibility and patience their strengths. Asked how he had reached this far in politics despite having no one behind him, CM Saini said his journey had no lift, only stairs, and there were times when even the next step was not visible.
After entering politics, he recalled his first electoral responsibility was not to contest an election himself but to help someone else fight one.
During that election, he worked until 2 a.m. When he was asked to contest in 2009 he did not have the money, but people came forward and helped him fight the election. He lost in 2009, but decided that defeat would not become his identity; instead, he would learn from it.
The very next day, he was back among the people. There was no position in hand and no assurance of another ticket, but he had made the decision to continue working. It was this approach, he said, that led to his victory by a significant margin in 2014.
The Chief Minister also recalled 1996 when Narendra Modi was the BJP in-charge for Haryana and had sent a computer to the party office in Panchkula. CM Saini said while operating that computer at the party office he had never imagined that he would one day become Chief Minister.
Referring to the period before 2014, the Chief Minister said there was a time when the youth were used for politics, but if a young person sought to move ahead in politics, that aspiration was suppressed.
Asked what the 2009 electoral defeat had taught him, the Chief Minister said he rose again the very same day with twice the enthusiasm. For him, a position had never been important; the spirit of ‘Nation First’ had always remained paramount.
The Chief Minister said his desire to help people led to the support he received in 2014. People elected him and the party entrusted him with ministerial responsibility.
The opportunities that followed, to serve as Member of Parliament, state BJP President and the Chief Minister, were the outcome of people’s affection, his sense of responsibility towards them and the opportunities given to him by the party.
National News
Punjab BJP criticises Congress leaders for remarks on Sajjan Kumar’s demise

Punjab BJP President, Kewal Singh Dhillon, on Friday condemned remarks by Congress leaders describing former MP Sajjan Kumar, an accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, as a “role model.” He said that this statement once again exposed the party’s anti-Sikh mindset.Dhillon said even after 42 years of the horrific and painful 1984 riots, the wounds of the victim families remain unhealed.
At such a sensitive time, describing a key accused in the massacre as a “role model” is a condemnable attempt to rub salt into the wounds of the victim families and reopen their painful memories, he said.He further said no amount of condemnation “is enough for Congress’ anti-Sikh mindset. The Congress has repeatedly acted in a manner that has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community”.
Dhillon asked the party to unconditionally apologise to the families of the victims and the entire Sikh community for such irresponsible and shameful statements made by its leaders.Kumar, who was serving life imprisonment in connection with the riots, died on Thursday at a Delhi hospital at the age of 80.Kumar, who was lodged in Tihar Jail, was taken to Safdarjung Hospital after his health deteriorated. Doctors declared him brought dead on arrival.
The former Congress leader had been convicted for his role in the violence in Delhi’s Palam Colony on November 1 and 2, 1984, following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.On December 17, 2018, the Delhi High Court overturned a trial court’s 2013 verdict acquitting Kumar in the case. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The case related to the murder of five Sikh men in Raj Nagar Part I, Palam Colony, as well as the burning of a gurdwara during the widespread violence.the High Court held Kumar guilty of criminal conspiracy and abetment and directed that he remain in prison for the remainder of his natural life. In its judgment, the court had described the 1984 anti-Sikh violence as “crimes against humanity”.
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