'No need to furnish PM's degrees': HC slaps fine on Kejriwal

Amid the raging row over PM Narendra Modi's educational qualification, Gujarat High Court on Friday ruled that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) need not furnish the graduation and post-graduate degree certificates of the Prime Minister.

The court also imposed costs of Rs 25,000 on Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Admi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal, who had sought the details of the PM's degree certificates.

The single-judge Bench of Justice Biren Vaishnav set aside the order of the Chief Information Commission (CIC) directing the Public Information Officers (PIOs) of PMO, Gujarat University and Delhi University to furnish details of PM Modi's graduate and post-graduate degrees.

Kejriwal, in a letter to CIC in response to an RTI application seeking details of his electoral photo identity card (EPIC) aka voter card, demanded that while he was ready to share information sought by RTI applicants, the CIC must also order disclosure of educational qualifications of the PM.

After Kejriwal's letter, the CIC had ordered Delhi University, from where he pursued his Bachelor's degree in Arts (BA) , and Gujarat University, from where he completed his Master's degree in same subject (MA), to reveal the details of his educational qualifications.

Acting on Kejriwal's letter, the CIC had asked the two universities to "make the best possible search for the information regarding degrees in the name of Narendra Damodardas Modi in the year 1978 (graduation) and 1983 (post-graduation) and provide it to the appellant as soon as possible."

During the past hearings, the Gujarat University vehemently objected to the CIC's order saying "irresponsible childish curiosity" of someone cannot become public interest under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

During the last hearing held in February, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the university, claimed that there was nothing to hide in the first place because information about PM's degrees is "already in public domain" and the university had also placed the information on its website on a particular date in the past.