The Week: New Delhi: Tuesday, 26 August 2025.
The Delhi High Court has set aside a CIC order, ruling that specific details of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BA degree from Delhi University are 'personal information' and not subject to public disclosure under the RTI Act
The Delhi High Court set
aside an order passed by the Central Information Commission and prevented the
disclosure of specific details regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
education qualification, observing they were "personal information".
Hearing the matter on Monday, the Delhi High Court observed that the petition seeking details of Modi's bachelor's degree awarded by the Delhi University lacked "implicit public interest". While the Delhi University challenged the CIC's order to make the mark details public, the top university informed that it was ready to share the information with the Court.
A bench led by Justice Sachin Datta heard Delhi University's plea challenging a 2017 CIC order to make public marks and other educational qualification details regarding students who graduated in 1978, the year Prime Minister Modi got his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.
The bench observed, "Something which is of interest to the public" was quite different from "something which is in the public interest". The bench observed educational qualifications were not a "statutory requirement for holding any public office or discharging official responsibilities".
"The fact that the information sought pertains to a public figure does not extinguish privacy/confidentiality rights over personal data, unconnected with public duties," the Court said.
Appearing for the university, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued the CIC order must be set aside, but the institution had no objection in showing its record to the court. "There is a degree from 1978, Bachelor of Arts," he informed the bench.
The matter stems from a Right To Information (RTI) plea moved by an activist named Neeraj Kumar in December 2016. Kumar sought the results of all the students who appeared in BA in 1978, along with their roll number, name, marks and result, pass or fail. However, the information officer at DU refused to reply to the query, citing that they were "personal information".
The petitioner later approached CIC, which held that the university is a public body and that all degree-related information is available in the varsity's private register, which is a public document, Live Law reported.
"It is unambiguously clear that the 'marks obtained', grades, answer sheets, etc, are in the nature of personal information and are protected under Section 8(1) of the RTI Act, subject to an assessment of overriding public interest. The mere act of publishing certain information on some occasions does not dilute the legal protection accorded to personal information under Section 8(I) of the RTI Act," the court held.
The Delhi High Court has set aside a CIC order, ruling that specific details of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BA degree from Delhi University are 'personal information' and not subject to public disclosure under the RTI Act
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| (File) Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with students during the 79th Independence Day celebration at the Red Fort, in New Delhi | PTI |
Hearing the matter on Monday, the Delhi High Court observed that the petition seeking details of Modi's bachelor's degree awarded by the Delhi University lacked "implicit public interest". While the Delhi University challenged the CIC's order to make the mark details public, the top university informed that it was ready to share the information with the Court.
A bench led by Justice Sachin Datta heard Delhi University's plea challenging a 2017 CIC order to make public marks and other educational qualification details regarding students who graduated in 1978, the year Prime Minister Modi got his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.
The bench observed, "Something which is of interest to the public" was quite different from "something which is in the public interest". The bench observed educational qualifications were not a "statutory requirement for holding any public office or discharging official responsibilities".
"The fact that the information sought pertains to a public figure does not extinguish privacy/confidentiality rights over personal data, unconnected with public duties," the Court said.
Appearing for the university, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued the CIC order must be set aside, but the institution had no objection in showing its record to the court. "There is a degree from 1978, Bachelor of Arts," he informed the bench.
The matter stems from a Right To Information (RTI) plea moved by an activist named Neeraj Kumar in December 2016. Kumar sought the results of all the students who appeared in BA in 1978, along with their roll number, name, marks and result, pass or fail. However, the information officer at DU refused to reply to the query, citing that they were "personal information".
The petitioner later approached CIC, which held that the university is a public body and that all degree-related information is available in the varsity's private register, which is a public document, Live Law reported.
"It is unambiguously clear that the 'marks obtained', grades, answer sheets, etc, are in the nature of personal information and are protected under Section 8(1) of the RTI Act, subject to an assessment of overriding public interest. The mere act of publishing certain information on some occasions does not dilute the legal protection accorded to personal information under Section 8(I) of the RTI Act," the court held.
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