Degree row: Plea against Smriti Irani maintainable, says court

New Delhi, June 24 : In a setback for Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani, a Delhi Court today took cognizance of a complaint filed against her for allegedly misrepresenting facts about educational qualifications in her election affidavits.The court has set August 28 as the next date of hearing.”Yes, the court has found the plea maintainable, but only to the extent that the complainant must show proof on the day of hearing,” said Irani’s counsel.The court had earlier reserved its order on an application filed against Irani for allegedly furnishing wrong information about her educational qualification in affidavits filed with the Election Commission till June 24.Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain had earlier adjourned the matter till June 1 after imposing a fine on the complainant for non appearance.The complainant has alleged that Irani had given ‘false information’ about her educational qualifications before the ECI while filing the nomination.