Judge to hear matter on August 28.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BENGALURU: Even as the BJP is struggling to find a way out of the Lalit Modi issue, which has tarnished the clean image of two of its high-profile leaders, including external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, the government received yet another heavy blow on Wednesday when a Delhi court agreed to hear a complaint against the human resource development minister Smriti Irani over her alleged fake educational qualification.
Delhi Metropolitan magistrate Akash Jain said that he would hear the pre-charge evidence of the case against Irani on August 28. He was quoted by The Hindustan Times saying, “It is held that the present complaint case is filed under limitation (of time). Cognizance is taken. The matter is now fixed for pre-summoning evidence on August 28.â€
Irani is one of the close aides of PM Modi and was the BJP spokesperson before being elected as the youngest cabinet member in the Modi government. If the court finds that the HRD minister has made false statement in the election affidavit regarding her educational qualification, she might be asked to appear before the court for hearing.
The court’s decision to hear the case against HRD minister led to a wide protest outside her residence. Hundreds of Congress and AAP workers took to the street in Delhi demanding the immediate resignation of Irani.
AAP also alleged government’s double standards in dealing with Irani, pointing out that AAP minister Jitendra Singh Tomar was taken into custody on similar charges even as his case was pending in the court.
The case against Irani was filed by Ahmar Khan, a 26-year old freelance writer who accessed the affidavit filed by Irani via RTI. He has alleged that Irani has stated that she received BA Degree from Delhi University (DU) in 1996, but in her Rajya Sabha nomination paper she has said that she completed B.Com Part I through Distance Education of DU.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, “It is apparent that the country’s education minister is lying about her own education. What will happen to the future of millions of children in the country? Irani has no moral, constitutional or legal right to continue.â€
According to the complaint “It is evident from the contents of the affidavits filed by Smriti Irani that at best only one of the depositions by her on oath in respect of her educational qualifications is correct.â€
It also claims that “The aforesaid affidavits of Smriti Irani, apart from the ostensibly false and discrepant statements in respect of her educational qualifications, also appear to contain false/discrepant statements in respect of immovable properties owned by her and other details set out by her.â€
The case filed against Irani amounts to the violation of the Representation of the People Act.
“I had no quarrel with the HRD Ministerâ€, said Khan while speaking to the Hindustan Times.