Gujarat HC imposes fine on Kejriwal for seeking information on Modi’s degree
Kejriwal asked to pay Rs 25,000 fine as Gujarat HC sets aside CIC order
31-03-2023 : The Gujarat High Court overturned a seven-year-old Central Information Commission (CIC) order that required the Gujarat University to provide information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Justice Biren Vaishnav allowed the Gujarat University’s appeal against the CIC order and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Kejriwal, instructing him to deposit the amount within four weeks to the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority (GSLSA). Kejriwal’s lawyer, Percy Kavina, requested a stay on the order, but Justice Vaishnav refused. In April 2016, the CIC directed the Delhi University and the Gujarat University to provide information to Kejriwal on Modi’s degrees.
However, the Gujarat High Court stayed the CIC order three months later after the university appealed. The Gujarat University opposed the CIC’s order, calling it “irresponsible childish curiosity” and arguing that the RTI Act’s exceptions permitted it to decline the order. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the university, claimed that information about Modi’s degrees was already in the public domain, and the RTI Act was being used to make “childish jabs” against opponents.
