The Delhi High Court on Monday, 25 August, set aside a Central Information Commission (CIC) order that had directed disclosure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bachelor’s degree details, ruling that such information fell within the ambit of “personal information” protected under the RTI Act.
Justice Sachin Datta, who reserved the verdict in February, said there was no “implicit public interest” in disclosing the records. “Something which is of interest to the public is quite different from something which is in the public interest,” the court observed.
The order stated that educational qualifications are not a statutory requirement for holding public office and therefore remain private data. “The fact that the information sought pertains to a public figure does not extinguish privacy/confidentiality rights over personal data, unconnected with public duties,” Justice Datta noted, adding that the RTI Act cannot be used to “provide fodder for sensationalism.”
The ruling came on a plea filed by Delhi University in 2017 against a CIC order that had allowed inspection of BA student records from 1978, the year Modi is said to have graduated. The CIC had acted on an RTI application by Neeraj, a fellow 1978 graduate, but its order was stayed almost immediately in January 2017.
Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for DU, told the court that while the university had “no objection” to showing records to the judge, it opposed public release. “There is a degree from 1978, Bachelor of Arts,” he said.
The Congress sharply criticised the verdict, saying it was “incomprehensible” that the PM’s degree should remain a secret when educational details of other leaders are routinely available. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh linked the issue to the 2019 amendments to the RTI Act, calling it proof that the law had been “weakened to protect those in power.”
Over the years, opposition parties — notably the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) — have alleged that Modi misrepresented his qualifications, pointing to discrepancies in documents such as inconsistent spellings and the unusual phrasing “Entire Political Science” on his MA certificate from Gujarat University.
While the BJP has publicly displayed copies of Modi’s certificates, presented by Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley in 2016, critics insist there has been no independent verification through university archives, as courts have repeatedly blocked disclosure on privacy grounds.
In his election affidavits, Modi has declared a BA from Delhi University (1978) and an MA in Political Science from Gujarat University (1983).
With Monday’s judgment, the degree row remains unresolved, with supporters relying on party claims of authenticity and sceptics continuing to demand transparent access to university records.
