Fake degree case controversy: As it happened

Jitender Singh Tomar, who on Tuesday quit as Delhi Law Minister after being arrested and was sent to four-day police custody, was on Wednesday taken to Faizabad by the Delhi Police to verify the claims of his educational degrees.

• Former Delhi law minister Jitender Singh Tomar has moved his bail application in a sessions court here, alleging that Delhi Police did not comply with the requisite legal formalities before arresting him, IANS reported. Seeking bail, Tomar told the court that he has been falsely implicated in the case.
• The BJP has accused another AAP MLA of possessing forged degrees. Ex-BJP MLA Karan Singh Tanwar has said that he has filed a complaint that the educational certificate of AAP MLA Surender Singh is forged. "I had already met Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung, Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi, deputy commissioner of police and gave them a written complaint along with all relevant papers in connection with the forged, fake and frivolous degree of AAP MLA Surender Singh," Tanwar said here on Wednesday.
• Congress supporters protest against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Water cannons were used to repel protesters.

Delhi Congress members brave water cannons as they protest against Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi: pic.twitter.com/9wwVkK1gB0

— INC India (@INCIndia) June 10, 2015

• AAP spokesperson Ashutosh says, "Jitender Tomar is not a terrorist, he was a minister. An FIR was lodged at 3 am in the night and seven IPS officers along with 33 cars reached there; his driver was dragged out and Tomar was bundled out in the car as if he's a terrorist."
• Kejriwal and Sisodia leave after meeting the Lt Governor. 
• CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia reach LT Governor's house. 

• Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal sends Jitendra Singh Tomar's resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee through Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.
• Delhi Jal Board vice chairman Kapil Mishra appointed as next Delhi Law Minister.
• Union Minister Prakash Javadaekar takes a dig at AAP convenor says Kejriwal became Delhi CM saying his party will fight corruption, and appointed a corrupt man (Tomar) as the law minister.
• Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) members protest against AAP government.
• Speaking to ANI Bhushan says: "Arrest is only necessary in cases where a person may escape or is likely to commit the same offence or is likely to tamper with the evidence. In Tomar's case, the only apprehension the police may have had is that he may try to tamper with the evidence . If that is the case, perhaps arrest may have been justified; but in such cases arrest is not usually justified."
• Former AAP leader and senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan says that Tomar's arrest is justified only if the latter had tried to tamper with the evidence.
• Tomar's lawyer moves application in sessions court against his arrest. The court agrees to hear the case tomorrow.

• "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," Bassi further says.
• Those who helped Tomar should be identified so that doesn't have any bad impact on education system, Bassi asserts.
• Confirming that Tomar's documents are false, Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi says now the concern is from whom were the documents procured.
• Delhi Police reaches Faizabad with AAP MLA Jitender Siongh Tomar. 
• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia will meet Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung later in the day.
• The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says that Tomar's case has exposed the 'true face' of the AAP.

• Delhi Bar Council president KK Manan says Tomar is guilty of possesing fake degrees the case is based on documentary evidence.
• Completely disapproving of Delhi Police's action, Ashutosh further says that it is for the court to decide whether Tomar's degree is fake or not.
• Accusing police of treating Tomar as a "terrorist", Ashutosh says seven IPS officers and other policemen in 33 cars reached the MLA's residence and dragged him out.
• Defending his party colleague, AAP spokesperson Ashutosh again criticises Delhi Police's action against Tomar.  
• Another Congress leader PC Chacko opines that CM Arvind Kejriwal should resign as the AAP convenor has been shielding his Cabinet minister over fake degrees issue.
• Maken also criticises the Delhi government over no Lokayukta in the state.
• Congress leader Ajay Maken hits out at AAP for not introducing the Lokpal Bill. The Congress leader further slams Kejriwal government saying, other than Tomar's fake degrees issue, there are eight other AAP MLAs against whom cases are pending in various police stations.

• The university's controller of examination initiated a thorough probe and released an official letter saying that roll number series mentioned in the AAP MLA's attached documents are bogus and the degrees and marksheets are found to be fake, says Shukla.
• Media incharge of Awadh University SN Shukla says one Pradeep Kumar had filed a Right to Information (RTI) for verification of Tomar's degrees and marksheets.
• Speaking to the media at the railway station, the 49-year-old Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Trinagar area in the national capital reiterates that his degrees are genuine and blamed the central government for hatching a conspiracy against him.
• The Delhi Police team along with Tomar reaches the Lucknow railway station and are enroute to Faizabad.
• Jitender Singh Tomar, who on Tuesday quit as Delhi Law Minister after being arrested and was sent to four-day police custody, is being taken to Faizabad by the Delhi Police to verify the claims of his educational degrees.

• Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh questions Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's silence on Tomar's fake degree issue. The AICC general secretary express his views on Twitter.

Why is Kejriwal quiet about Jitendra Tomar issue? Is this the value based politics he has been promising ?

— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) June 10, 2015

What happened on Tuesday

Tomar was in police lock-up Tuesday night highlighting the face-off between the Centre and the national capital's AAP government after his arrest by police on the charge of possessing fake degrees.

The first-time minister was remanded to four-day police custody by a city court hours after he was arrested for allegedly forging his science graduation, law mark sheets and a migration certificate.

In the court, police sought five-day custody of Tomar saying his educational certificates relating to law degree were "fabricated" and he was required to be taken to Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh and Bhagalpur in Bihar to ascertain the authenticity of his educational qualifications.

However, the court granted four day's custody. At a press conference, Delhi Police said KS Saket Post-Graduation College in Ayodhya have told the investigators that no B Sc degree and marks sheets were issued in the name of Jitender Singh Tomar.

The police said the Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University in Bihar's Bhagalpur also termed Tomar's law degree fake. Law College in Bihar's Munger from where Tomar claimed he studied law is affiliated to the particular university.

Tomar late Tuesday submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying he did not want the image of the AAP or the government to be tarnished.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said Kejriwal accepted it and it would be forwarded to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Wednesday. Stung by the arrest, AAP unleashed a stinging attack on the Modi government accusing it of political vendetta and creating an "emergency-like" situation in Delhi to avert the city government's crackdown on corruption.

Sisodia said vested interests were ganging up against the AAP government because of its anti-corruption campaign.

Two cases are pending against Tomar in the Delhi High Court, alleging he enrolled himself as an advocate on the basis of a fake law degree and seeking cancellation of his election.