Indian state law minister arrested over fake degrees

NEW DELHI: Police arrested the New Delhi state law minister Tuesday after concluding his university and law degrees were fake and registration as an attorney in the capital was illegal.
Jitendra Singh Tomar has said his degrees are real and he would prove it in court. Leaders of the Aam Admi Party, or Common Man Party, condemned the arrest of its member and said police should have waited for a court verdict.
Tomar faces charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy and forging documents, said police spokesman Rajan Bhagat. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to seven years.
According to Bhagat, Tomar said he obtained a degree from a university in Uttar Pradesh state and a law degree from a university in Bihar state, but police found both to be fake.
The Bar Association of New Delhi registered a police complaint against Tomar last month. The New Delhi police registered a criminal case against him on Monday after completing an investigation into the complaint, Bhagat told reporters.