Delhi law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar’s provisional certificate is “fabricated and does not exist in the institution’s record,” the Delhi High Court was told by a Bihar-based university from where he claimed to have done his law education. Tilak Manjhi Bhagalpur University in Bihar placed before the court its enquiry report stating that the serial number of the provisional certificate in the record showed the name of some other person and not that of Tomar.
“It is respectfully submitted that on the basis of the enquiry report, and in the university records, the provisional certificate bearing serial no. 3687 was issued on July 29, 1999 to Mt Sanjay Kumar Chaudhary for BA (Honours) Political Science examination held in 1998.
“Accordingly, the provisional certificate in the name of the respondent no. 5 (Tomar), is fabricated document and does not exist in the records of the university,” the affidavit placed before a bench of Justice Rajiv Shakdher, said.
The university was responding to the notice issued to it on a plea alleging that Tomar got himself enrolled as an advocate on the basis of a “false and bogus” graduation degree. The court had also sought reply from the Dr Ram Manohar lohia Avadh University (UP) from where the law Minister said he had graduated in science.
The bar members of Delhi, who wanted to be impleaded as a party in the petition, informed the court that they have received information from Avadh University that Tomar’s graduation degree is allegedly “fake”. The Bar Council of India (BCI) and the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), who were roped in as the respondents in the plea, were asked to file affidavit in this regard. It also asked the BCD to file its enquiry report against Tomar by August 20.
Meanwhile, the court has appointed advocate Raj Shekhar Rao as amicus curiae, to assist the court in the matter, after it found that the petitioner Santosh Kumar Sharma, who had alleged that Tomar had enrolled himself as an advocate on basis of a “false and bogus” degree, was not present in court. It also issued notice to Sharma directing him to appear before it on the next date of hearing.