Shahin Akhtar
On 25th August, 2025 the Delhi High Court has overturned a Central Information Commission (CIC) directive that required Delhi University to share information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s graduation.
Justice Sachin Datta passed the ruling while accepting the university’s 2017 petition challenging the order. The Commission had earlier permitted inspection of the records of students who completed the BA programme in 1978, the same year in which the Prime Minister is said to have cleared the examination. The High Court had stayed the CIC’s order at the very first hearing on January 24, 2017.
Representing the university, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the Commission’s direction could not be sustained. He clarified that DU had no issue producing the degree before the court itself, but opening such records for public scrutiny would not be permissible. According to him, the RTI mechanism cannot be used merely to satisfy curiosity, and the university maintains such documents in a fiduciary capacity, making them exempt from disclosure.
Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for RTI applicant Neeraj Kumar, took a contrary position. He pointed out that universities generally publish examination results openly through notice boards, websites or newspapers, and argued that the information sought should fall within the public domain. He also disputed the claim that the records were held in a fiduciary relationship.
The dispute began with Neeraj Kumar’s RTI application seeking a list of all students who appeared for the 1978 BA examination, including their roll numbers, names, marks, and whether they had passed or failed. DU’s Central Public Information Officer denied the request on the ground that it involved “third party information.” When the matter went to the CIC, the Commission in 2016 directed disclosure, holding that universities are public bodies and degree records form part of public documents.
However, DU told the High Court that while it was willing to share aggregate details such as the number of candidates who appeared and passed, releasing individual names, roll numbers, and marks would breach privacy and fall under exemptions in the RTI Act. The court accepted this reasoning and set aside the CIC order, effectively closing the matter.
Case Name: University Of Delhi versus Neeraj & Anr.
Case No.: W.P.(C) 600/2017 & Connected Matters
Bench: Justice Sachin Datta
Click here to access the order
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