Gujarat High Court Dismisses Kejriwal Appeal And Upholds Fine In Modi Degree Case

The Gujarat High Court dismissed Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal’s appeal over a directive requiring Gujarat University to disclose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s academic degree. The court upheld a 2023 ruling that quashed the Central Information Commission’s disclosure order and imposed a Rs 25,000 cost on Kejriwal, finding no reason to interfere. Kejriwal’s lawyer argued that he had not persistently sought the degree and disputed the finding that it was available online; the university’s position that it was already online had been accepted by the lower court.
The High Court said it found no error in the judgment under appeal and dismissed Kejriwal’s appeal without making any further order on costs.
The 2023 single-judge ruling had also reprimanded Kejriwal for what it described as misuse of RTI provisions, characterising his approach as casual.
Kejriwal’s counsel argued that the CIC had initiated proceedings suo motu and named him as a respondent on the basis of a letter, rather than a formal application.
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