- Monday, March 03, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
The opponents of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi received yet another blow on Friday (31) when an order asking the Gujarat University to reveal details of the former’s educational degree was set aside by the western state’s high court. It said the information was not required.
The court also fined Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal Rs 25,000 (£246) for seeking the details.
Kejriwal has to deposit the fine amount with the Gujarat State Legal Services authority within four weeks’ time.
The AAP leader, who has studied mechanical engineering in one of India’s prestigious IITs (Indian Institute of Technology), has often accused Modi of being illiterate in the past and sought to see his degrees.
Reacting to the court’s order, Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi, “Does the country not have the right to know how educated their Prime Minister is? They vehemently opposed revealing his degree in court. Why? And the person asking to see the degree will be fined? What is happening? An uneducated or less educated PM is dangerous for the country.”
क्या देश को ये जानने का भी अधिकार नहीं है कि उनके PM कितना पढ़े हैं? कोर्ट में इन्होंने डिग्री दिखाए जाने का ज़बरदस्त विरोध किया। क्यों? और उनकी डिग्री देखने की माँग करने वालों पर जुर्माना लगा दिया जायेगा? ये क्या हो रहा है?
अनपढ़ या कम पढ़े लिखे PM देश के लिए बेहद ख़तरनाक हैं https://t.co/FtSru6rddI
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 31, 2023
Responding to a Right to Information (RTI) request, The Central Information Commission asked the prime minister’s office, Gujarat University and Delhi University to furnish information on Modi’s graduation and post-graduation degrees in 2016.
The Gujarat University moved the state high court challenging the order.
According to Modi’s election documents, he graduated from Gujarat University in 1978 and completed his Master’s degree from Delhi University in 1983.
Last month, India’s solicitor general Tushar Mehta argued during hearings that the institute should not be compelled to disclose the information.
“In a democracy, there won’t be a difference if a person holding the office is a doctorate or an illiterate. Also, there is no public interest involved in this issue. Even his privacy is affected,” the top government lawyer had said, saying the information on the PM’s degrees had no bearing on his role.
He also said that one cannot be asked to furnish the information “to satisfy someone’s childish and irresponsible curiosity”.
Mehta also said that information requested under RTI should be related to public activity.
“They cannot ask what breakfast I had. But yes, they can ask what amount was spent for the breakfast,” he was quoted as saying.
Kejriwal’s lawyer said election nomination forms listed educational qualifications and they were asking for a degree certificate and not marksheets.
