Tomar's fake degree case: Court grants bail to 13 co-accused

A Delhi court today granted bail to 13 accused in a fake degree case involving former Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar, who was chargesheeted as an accused.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sandeep Garg granted the relief to the 13 accused, including the employees of Tilkhamanjhi University at Bhagalpur in Bihar from where the Delhi MLA allegedly procured a fake law degree, on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each and a surety of a like amount. Tomar is already out on bail.

The court also directed the accused not to leave the country without its prior permission.

Tomar had on April 19 appeared along with other accused before the court in pursuance to summons issued against them.

The court, which had kept the hearing on bail applications for today, had taken cognisance of the charge sheet against Tomar and the 13 other accused for offences punishable under sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 109/120B(abetment of criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

Tomar, an MLA from Trinagar in North Delhi, was arrested on June 9, 2015 following a probe by Delhi Police on a complaint of the Bar Council of Delhi that he had obtained a fake law degree.

On July 24, 2015, he was granted conditional bail by a court here with a direction to join investigation whenever required. A magisterial court had earlier rejected Tomar's bail plea twice.

An FIR was registered against Tomar on June 8, 2015 at Hauz Khas police station for alleged offences of cheating, forgery, using forged documents as genuine, forgery with intent to cheat and criminal conspiracy under the IPC.