Bar council says Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ignored probe findings against Jitender Tomar

NEW DELHI:The Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), which had complained to Delhi Police against Jitender Tomar, has questioned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for favouring his law minister. The BCD chairman, K K Manan, denied any “political vendetta“ behind its move.

“Why is the chief minister favouring the minister despite our prima facie findings against him in the inquiry?

Instead of shunting out this person, the chief minister and his party are creating 'halla gulla'. He should have got Tomar's claim verified, he has the entire infrastructure,“ said Manan. “If his degrees are genuine, why has the minister has not given us the documents till date? What presumption would be drawn from it,“ asked the chairman, pointing out that first the Delhi high court and later BCD repeatedly gave time to Tomar to prove his degrees were valid.

It was a petition filed in Delhi HC by advocate Santosh Kumar Sharma four days before the Delhi assembly elections that set in motion events which culminated on Tuesday with Tomar's arrest. On Sharma's plea, HC issued a notice to Tomar--then an AAP candidate from Trinagar constituency--seeking his reply.Sharma alleged Tomar procured a “fake and bogus“ BSc degree from Avadh University and on that basis applied for law in Bishwanath Singh Institute of Legal Studies College, Munger. Later, he enrolled as a lawyer in Delhi on the basis of these degrees.At the very next hearing, when Sharma attempted to withdraw the petition, the court chided him, instead appointing a lawyer as amicus.

It also issued a notice to BCD, Awadh University in UP and Tilka Majhi University in Bihar, seeking their response.While the BCD started a probe, another lawyer approached it with a complaint against Tomar, prompting the council to launch a fullfledged inquiry . Things worsened for Tomar when Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University in Faizabad, UP, wrote to BCD that the undergraduate degree, marksheets and roll number cited by him were “completely fake“.

In response to the HC notice, Tilka Majhi University also informed the court it had no records of Tomar's enrolment. The Bhagalpur-based university went to the extent of saying on affidavit that the provisional certificate cited by Tomar was “fabricated“, leaving the HC shocked.

The only saving grace for Tomar is an affidavit filed belatedly by Bishwanath Singh Institute of Legal Study College, Munger, claiming that he was a bonafide student who finished law during 199498 and has a valid law degree.

On May 11, BCD had complained to DCP (south Delhi), seeking a “detailed investigation“ into the allegations that Tomar holds a forged degree.“It is prima facie established that Jitender Singh Tomar, by means of false representation and on the basis of forged marksheets and degree, claimed to be a graduate in BSc and on the basis of a forged provisional LLB certificate claimed to be a law g raduate on which basis he obtained enrolment with the BCD in 2011,“ secretary Punit Mittal said in his letter to the DCP.

Tomar was taken to AIIMS for check-up

Law minister Jitender Singh Tomar was taken to AIIMS for a medical check-up on Tuesday, hours before being produced in a court.

Sources said the minister was escorted by a group of policemen. “He came around 4.20pm. Doctors examined him for any injury or medical ailment. He was found medically fit,“ said an official.He added Tomar left at 4.35pm.Extra policemen were deployed at the institute to ensure there is no chaos.