Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar arrested in ‘fake degree’ case

New Delhi, Jun 9: In a big jolt to the Kejriwal government, Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar on charges of fabricating documents and submitting fake degree while filing nomination for the Delhi assembly polls held in February this year.

Tomar has been taken to Hauz Khas Police station for questioning

Special commissioner (law and order) Deepak Mishra confirmed the arrest to TOI. Sources said sections of cheating and forgery have been slapped against Tomar.

"Delhi law minister has been arrested without any notice or prior information. What is BJP government doing," AAP leader Sanjay Singh asked.

"His(Jitender Tomar) case is under court's jurisdiction. The university has also filed a reply in court stating his degrees are fine," Sanjay Singh added.

Tomar's arrest comes two weeks after a Delhi Police team had gone to Munger to verify documents from a university there.

Sources say that a large contingent of officers including DCP (II) P S Kushwah, STF (south) Chief Rajender Singh arrested Tomar after questioning him and confronting him with evidence.

Earlier, the Bihar-based university had informed the Delhi high court that it had no record of Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar completing his law degree from there.

Tilak Manjhi Bhagalpur University filed an affidavit stating Tomar's provisional certificate is "fabricated and doesn't exist in their record."

The university said the roll number cited by Tomar is also incorrect. "As per records, the provisional certificate with serial number 3687 was issued on July 29, 1999 to Sanjay Kumar Chaudhary for BA (honours) in political science. The certificate in Jitender Tomar's name is a fabricated document and does not exist in the university's records," the affidavit filed before Justice Rajiv Shakdher stated.

The affidavit came after HC issued notice to the university while hearing a petition alleging Tomar should be removed as minister as he enrolled as an advocate using a "false and bogus" graduation degree.