Smriti Irani's degree row: Court asks EC to bring records

NEW DELHI: Delhi State Election Commission was today directed by a city court to bring records regarding the educational qualifications of Union Minister Smriti Irani, against whom a complaint was filed for allegedly giving false information in affidavits to the poll panel.

Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh passed the directions after he was informed by an official for the commission that the documents filed by Irani regarding her educational qualification were not traceable.

The EC was asked to bring on record the original document as the complainant had alleged that Irani's affidavit filed before it in 2004 for contesting election from Chandni Chowk constituency mentioned her as a graduate.

The official told the court that original documents filed by Irani regarding her educational qualification were not traceable but the information in this regard was available on the commission's website.

After this, the court directed the official to file a report before it on the matter and fixed the matter for further hearing on July 23.

The court had on November 20 last year allowed the plea of complainant Ahmer Khan, a freelance writer, seeking direction to the officials of EC and Delhi University to bring the records of Irani's qualifications after he said he was unable to place them before the court.

The complainant had claimed that Irani had deliberately given discrepant information about her educational qualification in affidavits filed before the poll panel in 2004, 2011 and 2014 and not given any clarification despite concerns being raised on the issue.