Gujarat HC upholds Rs 25,000 cost on Kejriwal in PM Modi degree case

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday (September 29) dismissed AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s appeal against an earlier order quashing a Central Information Commission (CIC) directive seeking information from Gujarat University about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree.

A division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D.N. Ray upheld the March 31, 2023, single-judge order, which quashed the CIC’s 2016 directive and imposed Rs 25,000 in costs on Kejriwal.

Kejriwal’s counsel, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, challenged the costs, arguing that Kejriwal had not persistently pursued information about Modi’s degree and that the CIC had initiated the proceedings suo motu based on a letter rather than a formal RTI application.

Singhvi also argued that if Modi’s degree was already available online, as Gujarat University claimed, there was no basis for seeking the information under the RTI Act.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Gujarat University, argued that Kejriwal had pursued the matter persistently and held press conferences that allegedly sought to malign the university. He said the costs were intended to discourage misuse of the RTI mechanism.

The dispute dates back to 2016, when Kejriwal wrote to the CIC seeking information about Modi’s educational qualifications. Then CIC commissioner M. Sridhar Acharyulu directed Delhi University and Gujarat University to provide information on Modi’s degrees. Gujarat University challenged the order, leading the High Court to stay its implementation.

In March 2023, a single judge quashed the CIC directive, describing the commission’s approach as “judicial activism” and imposing Rs 25,000 in costs on Kejriwal. His appeal against that order has now been dismissed. DeshGujarat