Delhi’s Patiala House Court has decided to hear petition challenging Smriti Irani’s education qualification. The court has set 28 August as the day of hearing.
Speaking to the media, Smriti Irani’s counsel said, “Yes Court has found plea maintainable, but only to the extent that complainant must show proof on day of hearing.”
A case was filed by freelance writer Ahmed Khan, who accused Irani of providing contradictory affidavits about her educational qualifications during different elections.
Khan’s lawyer had informed the court that the HRD minister, in her affidavit for 2004 Loksabha elections, stated her educational qualification as BA from Delhi University (school of correspondence). However, while filing affidavit in her Rajya Sabha nomination papers from Gujarat in 2011, she said her highest educational qualification was B.com, Part 1 (correspondence course) from Delhi University.
But in her elections papers filed during 2014 Loksabha elections from Amethi constituency, Irani said she had completed her B.com, Part 1 from Open Learning in Delhi University.
Khan’s lawyer, KK Manan, had told the court, “When she did BA part I, II or III even god does not know. The question is, what the society is asking today from a person who is holding the post of the minister.”
The issue of anomalies in Irani’s affidavits related to her educational qualifications had cropped up after the Aam Aadmi Party leader Kumar Vishwas, who contested against the HRD minister from Amethi, raised this question.