JOIN USAAP internal Lokpal to probe into Tomar case
Days after arrest of the former Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar on charges that his degree is fake, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party on Friday said it will take action against him only after an inquiry by its internal Lokpal.
Earlier in the day, the Bharatiya Janata Party workers staged a protest outside ex-law minister’s residence in the national capital and demanded his suspension from the Delhi Assembly. Similar demands were coming from the AAP itself.
According to sources, the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was also unhappy with the ex-law minister, after a Right to Information (RTI) response showing his educational credentials turned out to be fake.
But senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh denied these claims, saying that even a seasoned RTI activist like Kejriwal is “not competent to judge the authenticity of such documents”.
Tomar is facing allegations of submitting forged education certificates while filing his nomination for the Delhi Assembly elections.
“A lot of questions have been raised over Jitender Singh Tomar’s law degree. The party’s internal Lokpal will inquire into the matter,” Singh said at a news conference here.
The ruling party’s decision to conduct an in-house probe assumes significance because the AAP had been backing him so far.
Sources also say the AAP has withdrawn legal aid to the former law minister. Senior advocate and AAP member H S Phoolka had argued for Tomar in court.
On two other AAP legislators, Surender Singh (Delhi Cantt area) and Vishesh Ravi (Karol Bagh) allegedly possessing fake degrees, Singh said, “We are gathering information on the issue. Everything will be decided after the party Lokpal report.”
Meanwhile, the AAP said it will soon come out with evidence on alleged fake degrees of the Union Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani and BJP MP Ramashankar Kataria.
“We also urge Delhi police to file an FIR and probe the charges against them,” Singh said.