HC Asks Delhi University to Defend Modi's Academic Records Despite Delay in Appeals

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The Delhi High Court has ordered Delhi University to file its response to a petition seeking the academic records of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The court directed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to submit the response within three weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on January 16. The move comes after the court noted that four appeals challenging a single judge's order, which quashed the Central Information Commission's directive to reveal Modi's academic records, were filed beyond the 30-day limitation period prescribed under the Delhi High Court Rules. The appeals were filed by advocate Neeraj Kumar, Delhi-based lawyer Mohd Irshad, and parliamentarian Sanjay Singh, who argued that the single judge's order suffered from fundamental errors. They claimed that the information sought served public interest and that universities do not hold such records in a fiduciary capacity. In its 2016 order, the Central Information Commission had directed Delhi University to reveal Modi's undergraduate degree certificate, but the single judge set it aside, ruling that academic records fall within the realm of personal information protected by the fundamental right to privacy. The high court held that disclosing such information would intrude into an individual's personal sphere, which is constitutionally protected under the Supreme Court's 2017 judgment on the right to privacy. However, the petitioners argued that the information sought is not personal information since it is about a degree awarded by the university, which is a public authority. The court's decision has sparked debate over the need for transparency in public officials' academic records and the balance between individual privacy rights and the public's right to information.