Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Nov 12: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed Delhi University (DU) to file its reply to pleas seeking condonation of delay in filing appeals against a single judge’s order related to the disclosure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bachelor’s degree.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela granted three weeks to the varsity to submit its objections to the applications. The court also allowed the appellants two weeks thereafter to respond to DU’s objections. The matter has been listed for further hearing on January 16, 2026.

The appeals, filed by RTI activist Neeraj, Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, and advocate Mohd Irshad, challenge a single judge’s August 25 order that set aside a Central Information Commission (CIC) directive directing disclosure of PM Modi’s degree details. The single judge had ruled that holding a public office does not automatically make all personal information public, emphasizing that the RTI Act is meant to promote transparency in governance, “not to provide fodder for sensationalism.”

The CIC order in question had arisen from an RTI application filed by Neeraj in 2016, which sought inspection of records of all students who cleared their BA exam in 1978—the year PM Modi graduated. The single judge’s combined order in six petitions, including one filed by DU, had dismissed the CIC’s direction. The court noted that educational qualifications were not statutory requirements for holding public office and termed the CIC’s approach “thoroughly misconceived.”

The Delhi High Court had earlier similarly set aside a CIC order directing CBSE to disclose Class 10 and 12 records of former Union minister Smriti Irani.

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta appeared on behalf of DU in the proceedings.