Setback for Minister Smriti Irani in Case Over Her College Degree

New Delhi:  A Delhi court has decided that a complaint that Education Minister Smriti Irani misrepresented her qualifications is “maintainable” – which means it will now examine how valid the complaint is. The next hearing has been set for on August 28.

The case against the politician has been filed by a freelance writer Ahmer Khan who alleges that Ms Irani has made contradictory claims about her college education in documents filed in different years with the Election Commission.

Ms Irani is the youngest member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet. “It’s not a problem to be less educated or be uneducated… but it’s a big issue that she is not being honest despite being the Human Resources Development Minister,” said Mr Khan.

His complaint say that in  April 2004, Ms Irani had said that she completed her BA in 1996  in a long-distance or correspondence program from Delhi University.

Then, last year, ahead of the national election which she contested unsuccessfully from Amethi in Uttar Praddeh, Ms Irani allegedly said that she had completed a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the  School of Open Learning, Delhi University.