Irani's education row: CIC orders inspection of minister's board record

It looks like Smriti Irani is in trouble. The CIC has asked the CBSE board to allow inspection of Irani's board record.

New Delhi, Jan 18: The Central Information Commission on Tuesday directed the Central Board of Secondary Examination to allow inspection of class 10th and 12th school records of Union Minister Smriti Irani, rejecting CBSEs contention that it constituted "personal information".

The office of Union Minister of Textiles and the Holy Child Auxilium School, Delhi, from where she claimed to have passed out, have also been directed by the Commission to provide the roll number or reference number of Smriti Zubin Irani to CBSE, Ajmer, which possesses the records for the years 1991 and 1993 "to facilitate search from huge records which is yet to be digitised."

The Commission rejected the argument that the information was "personal information" and thus cannot be disclosed.

"The Commission directs the respondent authority, the CBSE, to facilitate inspection of relevant records and provide certified copies of documents selected by the appellant free of cost, except personal details in admit card and mark sheet, within 60 days from the date of receipt of this order," Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu said in his order.

Acharyulu was recently divested of the charge of HRD ministry but retained CBSE by Chief Information Commission RK Mathur barely few days after he ordered inspection of BA records of Delhi University pertaining to 1978, the year in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi passed out.

PTI