The Delhi High Court has set aside a 2016 directive of the Central Information Commission (CIC) that had allowed inspection of records of all students who passed the BA examination in 1978 from Delhi University, the same year Prime Minister Narendra Modi earned his degree.

The order was delivered by Justice Sachin Datta, who ruled in favour of Delhi University’s plea challenging the CIC’s directive. The high court noted that the university holds academic records in a “confidential capacity” and that “simple inquisitiveness” without a demonstrable public interest cannot be grounds for disclosure under the Right to Information Act.

The CIC had earlier granted access to these records on December 21, 2016, in response to an RTI application filed by Neeraj, who sought details of all candidates who completed their BA in 1978. However, the Delhi High Court had stayed this directive in January 2017 while considering DU’s objections.

Delhi University had consistently opposed the CIC’s order, arguing that student records are protected by privacy provisions and cannot be made public without valid justification. Meanwhile, counsel for the RTI petitioner defended the CIC’s stand, contending that the disclosure of the prime minister’s academic credentials was a matter of larger public interest.