Delhi HC sets September 29 for hearing appeals on PM Modi’s bachelor’s degree records

The Delhi High Court has scheduled September 29 to hear appeals requesting the disclosure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bachelor’s degree details. The date was set after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Delhi University, requested an expedited hearing.

A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia was hearing the appeals, which challenged a single-judge ruling that overturned a Central Information Commission (CIC) directive to release the degree records. Proceedings were briefly deferred at the start following a passover request by the appellants' counsel.

Mehta requested an earlier date, noting the matter could be heard another day. However, the Bench confirmed it would proceed on September 29, maintaining the date despite the Solicitor General's repeated request for an earlier slot, following which the bench said that they’ve checked the calendar.


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The appeals were filed by RTI activist Neeraj, Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, and advocate Mohd Irshad.

The case stems from an August 25, 2025 single-judge ruling that set aside the CIC directive requiring the disclosure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bachelor's degree records.

The single judge ruled that holding public office does not automatically make an individual's personal information open to the public, dismissing the idea of any "implicit public interest" in the requested records. The court further emphasized that the Right to Information Act was designed to enhance government transparency, not to supply "fodder for sensationalism".

These proceedings originated from an RTI request submitted by Neeraj, which led the CIC on December 21, 2016, to allow the inspection of examination records for students who cleared the BA degree in 1978—the year PM Modi reportedly passed. The judge addressed these issues in a single combined judgment resolving six petitions,

While noting it had no objection to producing the relevant records before the court, Delhi University had petitioned to set aside the CIC order. In his judgment, the single judge observed that educational qualifications are not a statutory requirement for holding public office or discharging official responsibilities, adding that the situation might differ if such qualifications were a prescribed prerequisite for a specific office.

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Setting aside the direction, the judge described the CIC's approach as "thoroughly misconceived". The appeals challenging this ruling are scheduled to come up before the Division Bench on September 29 for further hearing.