Delhi HC Overturns CIC Order on PM Modi’s Degree

• The Delhi High Court set aside a Central Information Commission order.
• The order had directed the disclosure of PM Modi’s bachelor’s degree details.
• The court upheld Delhi University’s argument regarding privacy.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 25th Aug: The Delhi High Court has set aside a Central Information Commission (CIC) order that had directed Delhi University to disclose information on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bachelor’s degree. Justice Sachin Datta, who had reserved the verdict in February, passed the ruling on Monday in favor of Delhi University’s plea.

The case originated from an RTI application filed by one Neeraj, which led the CIC to pass an order on December 21, 2016. The directive allowed for the inspection of records of all students who had cleared the Bachelor of Arts exam in 1978, the same year the Prime Minister completed his degree. However, the high court had issued a stay on the CIC’s order on January 23, 2017, effectively pausing the disclosure.

During the arguments, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Delhi University, maintained that the university held student information in a “fiduciary capacity.”

He argued that “mere curiosity” did not warrant the disclosure of private information under the RTI Act, especially in the absence of a demonstrable public interest. Mehta did, however, state that the university had no objection to showing the record directly to the court, confirming the existence of a bachelor of art degree from 1978.

In response, the counsel for the RTI applicants defended the CIC’s order, stating that the Right to Information Act allows for the disclosure of a Prime Minister’s educational information in the interest of a “greater public good.” However, the High Court’s verdict ultimately upheld the university’s challenge, bringing the long-running legal dispute to a conclusion.