On Friday, March 31, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered double setbacks as the Gujarat High Court quashed the Central Information Commission (CIC) order issued in 2016 directing Gujarat University to furnish information regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Master of Arts (MA) degree to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Meanwhile, a Delhi court denied the bail plea of former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in the Delhi excise policy scam case.
The Gujarat High Court on Friday ruled that Prime Minister’s Office is not required to furnish the graduate and post-graduate degrees of PM Modi. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Delhi CM Kejriwal for seeking the details about PM Modi’s degree certificates. Kejriwal has been given four weeks to deposit the amount with the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority. Besides, the court also refused to grant a stay on the judgment.
A cost of Rs. 25K has been imposed upon the Chief Minister of Delhi @ArvindKejriwal to be deposited with the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority.#PMModiDegree
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) March 31, 2023
Notably, a single-judge bench of Justice Biren Vaishnav allowed the Gujarat University’s appeal against the CIC’s order, alleging that it was issued without notice.
In 2016, the Delhi University and the Gujarat University were instructed by M Sridhar Acharyulu, the CIC at the time, to inform Kejriwal about the degrees that Modi had obtained.
After the varsity complained about the CIC order to the Gujarat High Court three months later, the order was stayed.
On February 9 of this year, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta testified on behalf of the institution. He claimed that exposing a student’s degree under the RTI will infringe on their right to privacy. Additionally, he argued before the court that the public already has access to information on PM Modi’s degrees. He continued by saying that the university has already published information about the same on its website.
Following the Gujarat HC ruling today, CM Kejriwal questioned the verdict as he claimed that an ‘illiterate or less educated PM is dangerous for the country’.
“Doesn’t the country even have the right to know how much their PM has read? He vehemently opposed showing the degree in the court. Why? And those who demand to see their degree will be fined? What is this happening? Illiterate or less educated PM is very dangerous for the country,” CM Kejriwal tweeted.
क्या देश को ये जानने का भी अधिकार नहीं है कि उनके PM कितना पढ़े हैं? कोर्ट में इन्होंने डिग्री दिखाए जाने का ज़बरदस्त विरोध किया। क्यों? और उनकी डिग्री देखने की माँग करने वालों पर जुर्माना लगा दिया जायेगा? ये क्या हो रहा है?
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) March 31, 2023
अनपढ़ या कम पढ़े लिखे PM देश के लिए बेहद ख़तरनाक हैं https://t.co/FtSru6rddI
Meanwhile, the BJP also launched an attack on CM Kejriwal over the verdict. Taking to Twitter BJP National Spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla slammed Kejriwal for ‘peddling lies against the Prime Minister. Pooawalla also took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
“Lying & making obnoxious remarks, peddling lies against the chair of the PM has become a fashion & Kejriwal is in strong competition with Rahul Gandhi in this regard. But today he has been shown his place by High Court! Hope Kejriwal ji doesn’t make scurrilous comments on the judiciary like Rahul now! That would count as being “literate and yet uneducated,” Shehzad Poonawalla tweeted.
Delhi court denies bail to Manish Sisodia
Manish Sisodia, the AAP leader and former deputy chief minister of Delhi, has been denied bail by the Delhi Court on Friday in the CBI case involving the alleged excise policy scam. In the cases that the CBI and ED have filed, Sisodia is at present held in judicial custody. The order was issued by Rouse Avenue Courts Special Judge MK Nagpal for Sisodia’s bail plea.
Manish Sisodia, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and a former deputy chief minister of Delhi, was detained for his alleged involvement in a case concerning the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021–2022. Earlier on March 24, the court had reserved the ruling on Sisodia’s bail appeal.
The CBI had challenged Sisodia’s plea for bail, arguing that doing so would scuttle the probe and that he had a “constant practice” of destroying evidence. The CBI detained the AAP leader on February 26 after questioning him for more than eight hours. In the FIR, he was listed as an accuser. Sisodia, according to the CBI, was arrested as he did not cooperate with the investigation despite being presented with evidence and for evading questions.
