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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused an early hearing of a petition filed by Delhi University (DU) challenging the Central Information Commission’s (CIC’s) order directing the varsity to allow inspection of records of all students who had passed the BA exam in 1978, the year Prime Minister Narendra Modi had graduated from there.

The bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad said, “This matter is listed in October. Take it from me, it will be disposed of then, provided I continue in the roster. It doesn’t impress me why preponing should be done….List on the date already fixed”.

The court issued notice to DU on the application seeking early hearing in the case and listed it for further consideration on October 13, the date already fixed in the main petition.

The single-judge bench was hearing an early hearing application on a petition moved by DU challenging an order passed by the CIC. The CIC had directed the university to allow inspection of records related to students of BA course of the year 1978.

PM Modi is also stated to have completed his graduation from DU in 1978. It is to be noted that the order passed by the CIC on December 21, 2016 was stayed by the High Court on January 23, 2017.

Today, Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde appeared for the applicant, Neeraj Kumar, and submitted that the matter requires an early hearing as it has been pending for a long time.

The applicant had filed an RTI application seeking a record of the results of the students of DU who appeared in the BA examination in 1978 and also sought their other details like roll number, name, marks, and result of the exam. The University on the ground that it was the information related to a third party had denied giving details.

Subsequently, Neeraj had challenged the order of the university before the CIC, which had passed an order directing the university to allow the inspection of records. It stated that the information sought by the applicant was available with the university’s private register, which is a public document. DU has challenged the same before the High Court.

Case Title: University of Delhi v. Neeraj & Anr.