The Delhi High Court has quashed a Central Information Commission (CIC) directive that had asked Delhi University (DU) to disclose records linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bachelor’s degree. Justice Sachin Datta delivered the order on Monday, with a detailed judgment expected later.
The dispute goes back to 2016, when the CIC allowed inspection of DU records of students who completed the BA programme in 1978 — the year PM Modi is said to have graduated. DU challenged the order, and the high court stayed it in 2017.
Appearing for the university, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said DU had “no objection” to showing the degree to the court but opposed public disclosure. “There is a degree from 1978, Bachelor of Arts. But the university cannot put the record for scrutiny by strangers… mere curiosity is not enough under RTI law,” he argued.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing RTI applicant Neeraj, countered that such records were typically public and could not be withheld on grounds of fiduciary duty.
