Row over fake degree: Delhi HC disallows withdrawal of plea against Delhi law minister Jitendra Tomar
Taking a serious view of allegations raised regarding the “bogus and fake” law degree of Delhi Law minister Jitendra Tomar, the Delhi High court on Friday issued notice to the Bar council of India, Election Commission and the universities where Tomar has claimed to have received his education.
The court of justice Rajiv Shakdher refused to allow the petitioner, lawyer Santosh Kumar Sharma to withdraw the petition, after lawyers from the Bar council appeared and argued that the matter was a serious issue.
According to the plea filed by Sharma, Tomar had placed a “fake” undergraduate degree from the Avadh University to get enrolled as a student at the Legal Study college affiliated with the Bhagalpur University. He had then been enrolled as an advocate on the basis of the degree from Bhagalpur university. The plea had claimed that Tomar was not eligible to have studied law or to be enrolled as an advocate. On Friday, Sharma sought to withdraw his plea.
The court however refused to allow Sharma to withdraw the plea and issued a court notice to Tomar, the Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University and the Bishwanath Singh Institute of Legal Studies College in Bihar to file their responses.
Advocates Ajay Burman, Ripu Daman Singh and other members of the Bar appeared in court to submit their arguments against withdrawal of the allegations, claiming that “judicial scrutiny of a person who is now a public figure should be conducted.”
The court also noted that the petitioner approached the courts instead of the Delhi bar council, which would have been the appropriate forum. “This is a curious petition” commented the court, observing that the plea seemed to be a “tactic” to “pressurise people”
Advocate Preet Pal Singh, who was appearing for the BCI, also told the court that the lawyer’s body had initiated an inquiry into the issue. The court has now directed the BCI as well as all other parties to file their responses by April 27.
According to the intervening lawyers, the Avadh University, where he had claimed to have obtained an undergraduate degree in science, had sent a reply to the Bar Council of Delhi, stating that it did not have any records of granting any degree to Tomar.
Speaking to the Indian Express, advocate Ajay Burman also said that a letter had been sent to the AAP and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the allegations against Tomar, and seeking strict action by the party against Tomar.
Source:: Indian Express
