Fake certificate row: Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar arrested

Delhi Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar was on Tuesday arrested in the alleged fake degree case.

Police arrested the Aam Aadmi Party leader from his house this morning and took him to Hauz Khas police station for further questioning.

According to reports, he has been charged under various IPC sections including 420 (cheating).

The arrest comes amid an escalating turf war between the AAP government and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.

Tomar has been facing charges that academic certificate he submitted while filing nomination for assembly polls held in February this year were fake.

Taking to micro-blogging site, AAP leader Sanjay Singh tweeted, "Without any reason the Delhi police have arrested Jitendra Singh Tomar."

Hitting out, Singh accused the Centre of using "pressure tactics" against the Delhi government.

"The concerned university has filed its reply in the court. It also recorded the statement that the degrees are genuine. Then why was he arrested?. The Lt Governor, Delhi Police Commissioner and the Modi government are trying to scare us with such tactics. But we are not going to be scared. Our fight against corruption will continue," Singh said. 

Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi refused to respond to queries on the arrest.

"I was in the meeting and I will seek details of his arrest before commenting," Bassi said.

BJP leader Nand Kishore Garg who had fought the February 7 assembly polls against Tomar from Tri Nagar assembly constituency has filed a plea seeking setting aside of his election over alleged wrong declaration of educational qualification in his nomination paper.

Main opposition BJP had also accused Kejriwal of adopting "double standards" on the issue of corruption and demanded that he dismiss Tomar from the government.