New Delhi: A Delhi court has summoned — from Delhi University and the Election Commission — the records of education qualifications of Union Minister for Human Resources Development Smriti Irani.
Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain sought them on Friday during the hearing of a complaint from freelance writer Ahmer Khan that Ms. Irani had given different educational qualifications in three affidavits filed before the Election Commission (EC) while filing her nominations for the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha polls.
Allowing his plea, Mr Jain said: “Keeping in view the grounds mentioned in the application, the plea to direct the officials of the Election Commission and Delhi University to bring the records (of educational qualifications) is allowed.’’
The complainant alleged that in the nomination papers for the 2004 Lok Sabha election, Ms. Irani said she had completed B.A. in 1996 from Delhi University (correspondence course) but in the nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha election in 2011, she said her highest qualification was B.Com Part-1 from the School of Open Learning from the same university.
Again in the 2014 Lok Sabha election which the Minister contested from Amethi, she claimed in her affidavit that she had completed B.Com Part-I from the School of Open Learning from Delhi University, the complainant alleged.
The matter will now come up for pre-summoning evidence on March 16, 2016.
(Agencies)
