The Delhi High Court will rule on DU’s plea challenging the CIC order to disclose PM Modi’s 1978 BA degree details. Judgment expected at 2:30 pm.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court will pronounce its verdict on Wednesday in the case related to Delhi University’s (DU) challenge against a Central Information Commission (CIC) order, which had directed the disclosure of details regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bachelor’s degree.
Justice Sachin Datta, who had reserved the judgment on February 27, is expected to deliver the order around 2:30 pm.
The matter arises from a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by one Neeraj. On December 21, 2016, the CIC had passed an order allowing inspection of records of all students who cleared the Bachelor of Arts examination in 1978 – the year in which Prime Minister Modi had also completed his graduation. Following this, on January 23, 2017, the Delhi High Court had stayed the CIC’s order.
Appearing on behalf of DU, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the CIC’s order should be set aside. According to him, the university held student information in a fiduciary capacity and therefore it could not be made public simply because of “mere curiosity in the absence of public interest.”
Mehta, however, clarified that the university had no hesitation in showing the relevant records to the court itself. As he submitted, DU had
“no objection to show its record to the court.”
The court had also earlier reserved its judgment on other similar petitions concerning the issue of educational qualifications.
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Delhi University’s petition stated that the CIC had gone beyond the scope of the RTI Act, since the law does not allow private educational details to be disclosed unless there is a clear larger public interest.
DU strongly opposed the release of such records, insisting that the information was confidential and protected under law.
On the other side, counsel for the RTI applicants defended the CIC’s order. They argued that the Right to Information Act specifically allows disclosure in cases where larger public interest is involved.
According to them, details about the Prime Minister’s educational qualifications fell under “greater public good” and therefore should be disclosed.
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