Delhi HC Seeks DU’s Response on Pleas to Condone Delay in Appeals Over PM’s Degree Case

New Delhi, Nov 12: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed Delhi University (DU) to file its reply within three weeks on pleas seeking condonation of delay in filing appeals against a previous order concerning the disclosure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bachelor’s degree details.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela granted DU three weeks to submit its objections, following which the appellants will have two weeks to file their responses. The matter has been listed for the next hearing on January 16, 2026.
The court was informed that the appeals were delayed against the single judge’s August 25 order, which had set aside the Central Information Commission’s (CIC) directive to disclose the PM’s degree records. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the university during the hearing.
The appeals were filed by RTI activist Neeraj, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh, and advocate Mohd Irshad.
Earlier, the single-judge bench had ruled that the Prime Minister’s educational qualifications did not fall under the category of information requiring mandatory public disclosure. The court said that while transparency is vital in governance, the Right to Information Act “was not intended to provide fodder for sensationalism.”
The CIC, in a 2016 order, had directed DU to allow inspection of the 1978 BA examination records, the year when PM Modi reportedly completed his degree. DU had challenged the CIC’s decision, arguing that it had no objection to showing the records to the court but opposed their public release.
The same order also quashed a similar CIC direction requiring the CBSE to release copies of former Union minister Smriti Irani’s Class 10 and 12 certificates.
The High Court’s latest directive gives DU three weeks to formally respond before further proceedings resume in January.