The Delhi High Court on Thursday reserved its judgment on a plea by Delhi University (DU), which contests a directive from the Central Information Commission (CIC) to disclose records concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bachelor’s degree.
The reservation of the verdict followed a session where arguments were heard from both sides. Justice Sachin Datta concluded the proceedings with an announcement that the judgment was reserved, indicating that a decision would be made at a later date.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing DU, argued that the CIC’s order to allow inspection of the university’s 1978 bachelor of arts exam records—coinciding with the year PM Modi purportedly graduated—should be overturned. Despite opposing the public disclosure, Mehta reassured the court that the university was willing to privately show the records to the judge, confirming the existence of a degree from 1978.
The controversy stems from a December 2016 decision by the CIC responding to an RTI application filed by an individual named Neeraj. This decision permitted an inspection of the records of all students who cleared their BA examinations in 1978, the same year as the Prime Minister. The High Court had initially stayed this order on January 23, 2017.
Further defending the university’s stance during the February 11 hearing, Mehta highlighted that DU held this information in a fiduciary role. He argued that “mere curiosity” does not justify the invasion of privacy unless there is a substantial public interest, criticizing the RTI application as reducing the RTI Act to a “joke.”
