In a recent development, the Gujarat High Court has dismissed a review petition filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal concerning the request for information on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualifications. The court criticized Kejriwal’s persistence in the matter, stating that his continued efforts
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“does not reflect good taste in public life.”
The decision by the court, led by Justice Biren Vaishnav, reinforces the previous ruling that quashed a directive from the Central Information Commission (CIC), which had initially asked Gujarat University to provide details regarding Modi’s degrees. This ruling also allows Gujarat University to move forward with criminal defamation suits against Kejriwal and AAP MP Sanjay Singh.
Justice Vaishnav, in his remarks, aligned with the submissions of Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing Gujarat University, who argued that Kejriwal’s actions following his defeat in the legal battle were in poor taste.
“The court is conscious that seeking a review is and could be a remedy available in law but looking to the grounds and the arguments raised before this court in the review application, it cannot be said that the applicant (Kejriwal) has sought to invoke this remedy purely with a view to seeking legal recourse,”
Justice Vaishnav observed.
In March, the court had imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on Kejriwal, which he challenged in his review petition. However, the court maintained that the cost was justified, accusing Kejriwal of attempting to politicize the issue and misuse the RTI Act. The verdict implies that Kejriwal is now required to pay the penalty.
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Kejriwal’s review petition had argued that the university’s website did not display the Prime Minister’s degree but only an Office Register, which he claimed was insufficient. The court, however, found that the Office Register is a contemporaneous record reflecting the conferment of the degree in question.
Opposing the review application, Mehta suggested that Kejriwal’s appropriate course of action would be an appeal rather than a review. He also recommended that the court impose costs for the filing of the review, criticizing it as an attempt to “keep the pot boiling” on an issue that the law prohibits.
With these developments, the Gujarat High Court has made it clear that it finds no merit in the review plea and has dismissed it accordingly, upholding the costs imposed on Kejriwal as justified.
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