On Tuesday the Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad dismissed Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal's appeal against a Rs 25,000 cost order linked to his request for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's academic degree.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D N Ray affirmed the March 31, 2023 decision of a single judge, finding no error in the earlier judgment and refusing to add any further costs.
The single judge had earlier set aside a Central Information Commission (CIC) direction that required Gujarat University to disclose Modi's qualifications, while imposing the Rs 25,000 cost on Kejriwal for what the court described as a casual and misuse of Right to Information (RTI) provisions.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, contested the cost basis. He argued that Kejriwal had not persisted in seeking the degree and that the CIC had initiated proceedings suo motu, naming him a respondent based on a letter rather than a formal RTI application.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Gujarat University, countered that Kejriwal pursued the matter relentlessly, held press conferences that the university claimed defamed the institution, and therefore costs should deter future RTI abuse.
The dispute traces back to 2016 when Kejriwal wrote to the CIC demanding disclosure of Modi's degree, claiming no objection to public access of his records. In April 2016 the CIC directed Delhi University and Gujarat University to provide the information. Gujarat University challenged the order, arguing that an individual's curiosity did not constitute public interest under the RTI Act, leading to a stay of the CIC direction.
During the appeal, the university maintained that the degree was already available online, a point rejected by Kejriwal's counsel who insisted the document had never been uploaded. The High Court concluded that the appeal lacked merit, leaving the original cost order intact.
Image: mangalorean.com
📰 Source: Mangalorean News