Chief Information Commissioner RK Mathur recently relieved Information Commissioner MS Acharyulu of his Ministry of Human Resource Development portfolio, PTI reported. Acharyulu had allowed inspection of Delhi University’s degrees after a controversy over the authenticity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualifications. The records were related to students who had received their Bachelor of Arts degree from the university in 1978.
Mathur on Wednesday had issued an order instructing reallocation of work among the information commissioners, according to which Acharyulu lost the portfolio. His order came ten days after a previous one (issued on December 29, 2016) allowed Acharyulu to keep the HRD portfolio.
Earlier, the Central Information Commission had dismissed Delhi University Central Public Information Officer Meenakshi Sahay’s denial of a Right to Information query on the grounds that the information was personal, saying the rejection had “neither merit, nor legality”. RTI applicant Neeraj had sought information on the number of students in DU’s BA course in 1978, including their names, father’s name, marks secured and results. Sahay had claimed that the details sought were “personal information of the students concerned, the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest”.
In May 2016, the Aam Aadmi Party had alleged that Modi’s DU degree was fake. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal had called on the varsity to post details of the prime minister’s qualification on its website. The Delhi chief minister had said a different Narendra Modi, not the prime minister, had earned a degree from DU. The registrar, however, had dismissed the allegations and said Modi’s BA degree was authentic.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!