In more trouble for former Delhi law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar, arrested over the alleged fake degree row on Tuesday morning, RMl Awadh University, from where he claimed to have graduated, denied having any such record.
Stating its willingness to cooperate with the ongoing probe into the case, the university on Wednesday stood by its earlier stand, saying Tomar’s BSc degree was a forged one.
“One Pradeep Kumar had filed an RTI asking for verification of a set of documents related to Tomar’s mark sheets and degree. The university had replied on January 22 saying it had nothing of that sort in its records. We stand by our previous stand,” its media in-charge SN Shukla said.
Tomar, who quit as Delhi law Minister soon after his arrest on Tuesday and was replaced by Delhi Jal Board Vice-Chairman Kapil Mishra as the law Minister on Wednesday, also claims to have completed his llB degree from VNSl Studies, a law college affiliated to Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University of Bihar.
Tomar approached a sessions court in Delhi on Wednesday challenging his arrest in the degree case. In an application filed before the sessions court, Tomar alleged that police had arrested him in violation of prescribed procedure under the law. However, Additional Sessions Judge Sanjeev Jain refused to give an urgent hearing to Tomar’s plea and said that the matter would be heard on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Delhi Police investigators have found that Tomar had bought the BSc and llB degrees from a mediator linked with a racket suspected to be operating in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Delhi Police have also found that Tomar did not know that the degrees were completely fake and were made on forged letterheads of universities.
A Delhi Police team took Tomar to Faizabad in UP, from where he allegedly procured his BSc degree and examined documents at the Awadh University Registrar’s office and the Saket Degree College and took them in a sealed cover.
Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi said: “Our team reached Faizabad and our Investigating Officer took Tomar’s help in gathering evidence from there. Whatever on-spot verification was needed, was done.”
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, who was taken to lucknow by train around midnight and then by road to Faizabad, claimed that his degree was “genuine” and accused the Centre of a “conspiracy”.
“My degree is absolutely genuine. It is a conspiracy by BJP and the Central Government. Yes, They are not letting the AAP Government work,” he told reporters in lucknow.
Tomar, who is in police custody for three more days, was later in the day taken to Bihar. Once there, he will be taken to the college in Munger district from where he allegedly procured his llB degree.
Source said that both his degrees were found to be procured from the same person and that Tomar had paid a huge amount for them.
49-year-old Tomar however, has still not confessed to the crime and on Wednesday produced some more documents before the police to prove his innocence before leaving for Faizabad with a five-member police team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police SP Tyagi and Inspector Satinder Sangwan.
Delhi Police sleuths are now trying to ascertain as to who made these alleged forged documents and whether an organised gang is behind it.
“Whether he made them himself or did he procure it from somewhere. If they were procured from somewhere, it will be important to zero down on the person who provided him these documents and if there is a racket, then who else did they provide such documents to,” Delhi Police Commissioner Bassi said.
The police chief said such malpractices damaged the educational system and police would reach the bottom of the matter.
Soon after the Delhi Police received a complaint from Delhi Bar Council on May 11, a team was sent to UP and Bihar on May 13 to verify the documents submitted by Tomar to get his license for practicing law in Delhi courts. “A team camped, there for over a week and returned only after collecting evidence, on the basis of which the FIR was registered later,” said an officer.
“We have enough evidence to make a watertight case. The team will investigate the case from all aspects and the investigators will reach the source from whom Tomar bought the degrees,” the officer added.