Former Delhi law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar was sent to Tihar jail by a court in the alleged fake degree case after his two-day police custody expired on Sunday. Tomar was sent to Tihar after the Delhi Police told the court that his custody was no more required. Tomar has been in police custody since his arrest on June 9 with court extending his police remand period thrice.“In the circumstances, Investigating Officer (IO) submits that the accused be sent to one-day judicial custody as his presence is required for taking specimen signatures in connection with the case. Accused is granted one-day judicial custody,” Metropolitan Magistrate Ankit Singla said.Tomar was taken to Tihar Jail amid tight security immediately after the hearing. He had moved an application during the hearing through his advocate Harshit Jain seeking direction to Jail Superintendent and court lock-up in-charge that he be lodged in a separate ward and be taken to jail in a separate van due to security reasons. The court accepted Tomar’s plea and directed the jail Superintendent to make arrangements that he be lodged in separate ward with other political inmates and a separate van should be provided to ferry him from court and jail.
Earlier during the hearing, the Delhi Police told the court that Tomar’s police custody is not needed for now and he be sent to 14-day judicial custody. The magistrate, however, said that since application for specimen signature has been moved by the police, so Tomar be sent to one-day judicial remand and be produced before CMM where the police’s plea will be decided.The magistrate, however, recused himself from becoming witness to the Delhi Police’s plea for taking specimen signature necessary for the case citing personal reasons.“I have already conveyed my request to Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) to recuse me from deciding the applications in the case due to personal reasons. Therefore, I can’t become witness to factum of taking specimen signatures of the accused,” the magistrate said.He also directed the IO that application for specimen signatures and all subsequent applications in the case be put before the court of CMM.The magistrate, who was also to hear the bail plea of Tomar which was listed for Monday, recused himself from hearing it and transferred it to the court of CMM.Earlier, on June 19, the court had extended Tomar’s custody by two days after police said he needs to be confronted with his college officials and one other person Madan Pratap Chouhan interrogated in the matter.An FIR was registered against Tomar on June 8 at Hauz Khas police station and he was booked for alleged offences of cheating, forgery, using forged documents as genuine, forgery with intent to cheat and criminal conspiracy.