Smriti in trouble as court admits plea in degree case

Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain took cognisance of a complaint filed in this regard and fixed the matter for recording of pre-summoning evidence on August 28. “It is held that the present complaint is filed under limitation (of time). <g data-gr-id="39">Cognisance</g> is taken. The matter is now fixed for pre-summoning evidence on August 28,” the magistrate said.

Soon after the court order, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) demanded the resignation of Irani from <g data-gr-id="49">post</g> of Union Minister and registration of an FIR by the Delhi Police. “The BJP and the Delhi Police should adhere to same standards as in the case of former Delhi Law Minister Jitender Tomar and file an FIR against Ms Irani in the matter. To allow a fair probe, she should also resign from the Cabinet,” said AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha.

The Congress, too, demanded that the Minister to step down. “For fair investigation in the case, it would be proper that the Minister steps aside,” said Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan.

Irani’s lawyers, however, claimed that: “Her educational qualifications are not false. There is no ambiguity. The court should not even have taken any cognisance of the complaint.” Irani’s lawyer also clarified that the HRD Minister had not been summoned in the case so far and no FIR had been registered against her.

The complaint filed by freelance writer <g data-gr-id="40">Ahmer</g> Khan alleged that Irani, in her three affidavits before the Election Commission while filing nominations for her Lok Sabha candidature as well as Rajya Sabha polls, had purportedly given different details on her educational qualifications.

Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain had on June 1 reserved the order on the plea, after hearing arguments on the aspect of limitation and whether <g data-gr-id="38">cognisance</g> can be taken or not.

Senior advocate KK Manan, appearing for Khan, had told the court that in her affidavit for April 2004 Lok Sabha polls Irani had said that she completed her BA in 1996 from Delhi University (school of correspondence), whereas in another affidavit of July 11, 2011, for contesting Rajya Sabha election from Gujarat, she said her highest educational qualification was B.Com (part I) from the School of Correspondence, DU.

The complaint had alleged that in the affidavit filed for nomination of April 16, 2014, Lok Sabha elections from Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, Irani said she had completed B. Com Part-I from School of Open Learning, DU.

 AAP demands registration of FIR and resignation of HRD Minister