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'Jitender Singh Tomar Did Not Graduate From Here': RML Awadh University

Awkward. RML Awadh University Says Jitender Singh Tomar Did Not Graduate From There
Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najib Jung (L) adminsters the oath to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Jitender Singh Tomar during the Delhi state swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi on February 14, 2015. AAP president Arvind Kejriwal promised to make Delhi India's first corruption-free state and end what he called its 'VIP culture' as he was sworn in as chief minister before a huge crowd of cheering supporters. AFP PHOTO / PRAKASH SINGH (Photo credit should read PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images)
PRAKASH SINGH via Getty Images
Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Najib Jung (L) adminsters the oath to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Jitender Singh Tomar during the Delhi state swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi on February 14, 2015. AAP president Arvind Kejriwal promised to make Delhi India's first corruption-free state and end what he called its 'VIP culture' as he was sworn in as chief minister before a huge crowd of cheering supporters. AFP PHOTO / PRAKASH SINGH (Photo credit should read PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images)

FAIZABAD/ NEW DELHI — In more trouble for former Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar, arrested over the "fake" degree row, RML Awadh University, from where he claimed to have graduated, today denied having any such record.

A Delhi Police team took Tomar to Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh and examined documents at the Awadh University Registrar's office and the Saket Degree college and took them in sealed cover. Tomar was later taken to Munger in Bihar.

In Lucknow, Tomar on way to Faizabad maintained that the allegations against him were false and accused the Centre of a "conspiracy".

Tomar, who quit as Delhi Law Minister after his arrest yesterday, claims to have done his BSc from Awadh University.

The AAP leader, who was taken to Lucknow by train around midnight and then by road to Faizabad, claimed that his degree was "genuine".

"My degree is absolutely genuine. It is a conspiracy by BJP and the central government. Yes, They are not letting AAP government work," he told reporters.

Stating its willingness to cooperate with the ongoing probe into the case, the university 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 S N Shukla said.

He was replying to a question on Tomar's B.Sc degree.

Tomar had also claimed to have completed his LLB degree from VNSL Studies, a law college affiliated to Tilak Manjhi Bhagalpur University of Bihar.

49-year-old Tomar, MLA from Delhi's Trinagar constituency and a first-time minister, was remanded in four-day police custody by a Delhi court yesterday.

He was taken by an ACP-level officer along with seven other personnel to Faizabad.

Delhi Police has claimed that a nearly month-long investigation found that Tomar not only submitted fake science graduation degree and law mark sheets to register with the Bar Council of Delhi but forged a migration certificate also.

The possibility of an organised racket behind the alleged fake degrees is being probed, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi told reporters in the national capital.

"Whether he (Tomar) 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," he said.

"So to maintain the educational standards of the country, we want to arrest the racketeer and interrogate him thoroughly and track all those to whom he might have provided similar documents and bring all of them to book. We want to catch everybody, whether he is a government official or a private person," said Bassi.

Upping the ante, Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken, who is also the Delhi PCC Chief, demanded that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should quit in the wake of Tomar's arrest.

This, he claimed, was necessary as the issue of Tomar's "fake" law degree was raised inside AAP before the Assembly elections, but Kejriwal had ignored it. Tomar was not only given the AAP ticket, but was also made a Minister by Kejriwal despite knowing fully well the charges against him, Maken said.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.