The Central Information Commission on Friday directed Delhi University and Gujarat University to provide Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal information on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualifications. It asked the universities "to make the best possible search for the information regarding degrees in the name of ‘Mr Narendra Damodar Modi’ in the year 1978 (graduation in DU) and 1983 (post graduation in GU) and provide it to the appellant, Mr Kejriwal, as soon as possible,” in an order from Central Information Commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu.

The CIC also directed the Prime Minister’s Office to provide both universities with the “specific number and year” of the degrees Modi earned, to make it easy for them to find these records, PTI reported. Earlier this month, Delhi University had rejected an RTI request for information on Modi’s bachelor’s degree, claiming it is difficult to search for such records unless a student’s roll number is provided. The commission is the final appellate authority in RTI-related matters. However, its decision can be challenged through a writ petition before any high court in India.

This direction from the CIC comes after Kejriwal wrote a letter to it, accusing the transparency panel of trying to hide faces about Modi and questioning its functioning. He had demanded that the prime minister’s educational qualifications be made public, alleging that the details were being hidden from the public, NDTV reported. “You want everything about me out in the public domain, to which I have no objections. But I am amazed that you want to hide information on Narendra Modi’s degree. It raises the suspicion of people – is the commission really impartial?” he wrote.