Delhi Law Minister arrested over ‘fake’ degrees, resigns
Shaurya Karanbir Gurung & Ananya Panda
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 9
Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar, who was arrested by the police this morning on charges of cheating and fraud in obtaining his academic documents, was remanded in police custody by a local court this evening.
Tomar had allegedly submitted forged documents, including fake BSc and LLB degrees, to the Delhi Bar Council for getting registered as an advocate.
The Delhi Police move against Tomar came on a complaint filed by Delhi Bar Council Secretary Punit Mittal on May 11.
The arrest sparked off a fresh row in Delhi, which has been witnessing a power tussle between Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi Government and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders cried foul over the development. They called it “vendetta politics”.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia hit out at the Narendra Modi-led Union Government accusing it of creating an emergency-like situation in the National Capital. “They are creating such a situation to bring the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) under their jurisdiction,” AAP leaders said. Describing the arrest as “unconstitutional”, Sisodia said the move was in retaliation to reopening of the CNG fitness scam of 2002.
He said it was an attempt by the Union Government to “teach AAP a lesson”. In its complaint to the police, the Delhi Bar Council had alleged that the academic documents—a BSc degree and an LLB provisional certificate along with related marks sheets—which were submitted by Tomar in 2010 to get registered as an advocate, appeared to be forged. He was enrolled as an advocate with the Delhi Bar Council in 2011.
The police conducted an inquiry by forming two separate teams to verify Tomar’s BSc and LLB degrees. The police reportedly did not find any record about Tomar at KS Saket Post-Graduation College, Ayodhya, from where he had allegedly obtained his BSc degree and marks sheets.
“The roll numbers mentioned in the BSc mark sheets and the degree from Awadh University, Faizabad, were not found in the college and university records. The Controller of Examination, Awadh University, verified that no degree and mark sheets were issued in Tomar’s name,” said Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat. “The provisional LLB certificate in the name of Jitender Singh Tomar issued from Tilkamanjhi University, Bhagal Pur, Bihar, is also fake. The roll number mentioned on Tomar’s provisional LLB certificate was found to be allotted to another student, Sanjay Kumar Chaudhary, who pursued studies in a different stream, in 1999. The facsimile signature of Rajender Prasad Singh as the Controller of Examination on the marks sheet for LLB (Part III) and the provisional degree were found to be forged,” Bhagat said.
The record of Bishwanath Singh Institute of Legal Study College, Munger, Bihar, showed Tomar obtained the BSc degree from Awadh University, Faizabad, whereas the record of Tilkamanjhi University, showed that he migrated from Bundelkhand University, the police said. The registration number mentioned in the Tilkamanjhi University record was allotted in the name of Tomar in 2001, whereas the LLB marks sheets of first and second years showed the registration number was given in 1996-97.
