The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a petition filed by the Delhi University (DU) challenging an order passed by the Central Information Commission (CIC) in 2017, directing the varsity to furnish information related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree to a Right to Information (RTI) applicant.
The single-judge Bench of Justice Sachin Datta reserved its judgment in the case. The other parties in the case were heard in earlier hearings.
Appearing for DU before the single-judge Bench of Justice Sachin Datta, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta contended that it had no reservations in showing the degree of PM Modi to the Court, but would not expose the same to the scrutiny of strangers
He said the varsity had nothing to hide. It maintained year-wise register that mentioned everything.
DU had no objection in showing the original degree for Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1978 to the Court. However, it would not expose the varsity records to the scrutiny of strangers, who were in the Court either for publicity or for some oblique political motive, noted the SG.
In 2016, the then Chief Minister of Delhi and national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal, had asked the Prime Minister to come out clean about his educational degrees and make the same public.
Modi had mentioned in his election affidavit that he graduated from DU in B.A. (Political Science) course in 1978.
In December 2016, AAP supporter Neeraj Sharma filed an RTI seeking details of PM Modi’s degree from Delhi University.
The varsity denied disclosure of the information related to the degree, stating that it was a private matter and had nothing to do with public interest.
Sharma then moved the CIC against the DU. Information Commissioner Prof M Acharyulu then ordered the DU to make public, a register containing the list of students who passed the Bachelor of Arts programme in 1978.
On January 23, 2017, the varsity moved the High Court challenging the CIC order.
The High Court subsequently issued notice to Sharma and stayed the order after noting SG Mehta’s arguments that the order had far-reaching adverse consequences and that all varsities in the country which held degree details of crores of students in a fiduciary capacity.
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