Delhi HC to hear on Wednesday appeals seeking disclosure of PM Modi's degree details

New Delhi, Nov 11 (PTI) The Delhi High Court will hear on Wednesday four appeals seeking disclosure of details related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree.

The appeals have been filed challenging a single judge's order which had set aside a Central Information Commission (CIC) decision directing disclosure of Modi's degree.

A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela will hear the appeals filed by Right to Information activist Neeraj, Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh and advocate Mohd Irshad.

On August 25, the single judge had set aside the CIC order saying only because Modi was holding a public office, it did not render all his "personal information" to public disclosure.

It had ruled out any "implicit public interest" in the information sought, and said that the RTI Act was enacted to promote transparency in government functioning and "not to provide fodder for sensationalism".

Following an RTI application by Neeraj, the CIC on December 21, 2016, allowed inspection of records of all students who cleared the BA exam in 1978 -- the year Modi also passed it.

The single judge had passed the combined order in six petitions, including the one filed by the Delhi University challenging the CIC by which the varsity was directed to disclose the details related to Modi's bachelor degree.

Delhi University's counsel had sought the CIC order to be set aside but said the varsity had no objection in showing its records to the court.

The single judge had said the educational qualifications were not in the nature of any statutory requirement for holding any public office, or discharging official responsibilities.

The situation might have been different, had educational qualifications been a pre-requisite for eligibility to a specific public office, the judge had said, calling the CIC's approach "thoroughly misconceived".

The high court had also set aside the CIC order which directed CBSE to provide copies of class 10 and 12 records of former Union minister Smriti Irani. PTI SKV ZMN