PM Modi Degree Row: Delhi HC Asks DU To File Objections For Delay In Filing Of Appeals
Delhi University had earlier told court that it has nothing to hide but cannot disclose information to a stranger.
Published : November 12, 2025 at 2:37 PM IST
New Delhi: A division bench of the Delhi High Court has stated that the petitions challenging a single bench order on the bachelor's degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were filed after the deadline.
After this, the bench, headed by Chief Justice DK Upadhyay directed the Delhi University (DU) to file its objections on the delay in filing of appeals seeking disclosure of information. The next hearing of the case has been listed on January 16, 2026.
Petitioners, namely Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh, Right to Information (RTI) activist Neeraj Sharma, and advocate Mohammad Irshad, had challenged the single bench order.
On September 25, a bench headed by Justice Sachin Dutta had allowed the petition filed by DU against the Central Information Commission's (CIC) order and had set aside the CIC's order on disclosure of information related to PM Modi's degree.
During the hearing before the single bench, DU had stated it could present the degree to the court but not to a stranger. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing DU, said that the degree of a student who is currently the Prime Minister of the country was being sought and that DU had nothing to hide. The university maintains a register of its students and can show the degree to the court but not a stranger, he said.
The petitioner argued that granting a degree to a student under the RTI Act is not a private act but a public matter. Advocate Shadan Farasat, representing the petitioner, said DU is a public authority under the RTI Act so information about a person's degree cannot be denied.
However, DU refused to share the information, citing it as private information, and said it served no public interest.
Subsequently, Neeraj Sharma approached the CIC, which imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on DU's information officer, Meenakshi Sahay. The Commission also ordered the disclosure of information related to the degree.
DU had then approached the Delhi High Court challenging CIC's order.
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