In a major set back to the Aam Aadmi Party, Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar was arrested over a fake degree row on Tuesday.
AAP lodged strong protest over the arrest saying the minister was taken to custody with out any prior notice. According to reports an FIR had been filed against the minister last night.
He has been charged under various IPC sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery with purpose of cheating) and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy). Reports suggest that a police team had gone to Bihar on the direction of court to investigate charges that he had used fake degrees.
Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi refused to respond to queries on the arrest.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh said he spoke to the minister and tweeted: "Delhi Police arrested him without any notice or prior information." The minister has been taken to the Hauz Khas police station, the tweet said. However, Singh did not specify the immediate reason for his arrest.
मंत्री जितन्द्र तोमर से बात हुई बगैर किसी नोटिस या पूर्व सूचना के दिल्ली पुलिस ने उन्हें गिरफ्तार कर लिया हौज खास थाने ले जाया जा रहा है
— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) June 9, 2015Sources from AAP allege that Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung signed Tomar's arrest orders. They added that Tomar was picked from his office by an ACP Rank officer and driven to the police station.
The arrest comes amid an escalating turf war between the AAP government and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.
Tomar had last month urged the high court to stay the proceedings that the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) initiated against him.
Meanwhile, BJP said that it was a tragedy that a Law Minister himself was an offender of law.
(With inputs from agencies)
