New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday (February 27) reserved its verdict on a plea by Delhi University challenging an order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) directing the university to disclose the information with respect to the bachelor’s degree of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.
Justice Sachin Datta reserved the verdict after hearing submissions from the parties.
“Arguments heard. Judgement reserved,” Justice Datta said.
University had no objection in showing the record to the court, Solicitor General submitted before the High Court
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the University of Delhi, argued before the court that order of the CIC deserved to be set aside.
The Solicitor General, however, said that the Delhi University had no objection in showing the record to the court.
“University (Delhi University) has no objection in showing the record to the court. There is a degree from 1978, bachelor of art,” the Solicitor General submitted before the court.
University held the information in a fiduciary capacity, Delhi University argued
The Delhi University argued before the court that the information was held by the university in a fiduciary capacity and mere curiosity without public interest did not entitle anyone to seek private information under the RTI Act. It had further said that the RTI Act was reduced to a joke with queries seeking records of all students who had passed the BA examination from the university in 1978, including the Prime Minister.
High Court earlier in 2017 stayed CIC order
One Neeraj Sharma had moved the CIC under the Right to Information (RTI) Act against Delhi University’s refusal to disclose information relating to the PM Modi’s degree and the CIC allowed inspection of records of all students who cleared the BA exam in 1978 – the year in which Prime Minister Modi also passed the exam – on December 21, 2016.
The Delhi University, aggrieved by the order of the CIC moved the High Court, which stayed the CIC order on January 23, 2017.
