The Central Information Commission (CIC) has issued show cause notice to Delhi University's Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) asking why maximum penalty should not be imposed for rejection of an RTI application seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's graduation degree.
"The commission directs CPIO of Delhi University to show cause notice why maximum penalty should not be imposed against him/her for alleged wrongful rejection of RTI application and denial of information to the appellant within 21 days from the date of receipt of this order," the CIC said in its November 11 order.
The CIC has posted the matter for December 14 for further hearing.
Citing "privacy" reasons, the varsity rejected the RTI query which was filed by Delhi-based lawyer Mohammad Irshad, who then approached the commission.
In his RTI plea, the lawyer has sought inspection of documents of Modi as a student.
This comes after in April, the CIC directed Delhi University and Gujarat University to provide information on degrees earned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who had questioned the functioning of the transparency panel.
Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu also directed the Prime Minister's Office to provide "specific number and year" of the degrees of Prime Minister to his alma mater-- Delhi University and Gujarat University-- to make it easy for them to locate these records.
"Not prescribing the education (degree based) qualification for contesting electoral offices is one of the great features of Indian democracy. What is needed is education and not degrees. However, when a citizen holding the position of Chief Ministership wants to know the degree-related information of the Prime Minister, it will be proper to disclose," Acharyulu said in the order as he treated explanation from Kejriwal as an RTI application.