Gujarat HC to hear Kejriwal's review petition regarding Modi's degree

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat High Court will hear the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's petition seeking a review of its order in a matter related to the degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 7.

The Aam Admi supremo filed the review petition after the High Court set aside an order from the Central Information Commission (CIC) that had directed the varsity to "search for information" regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree.

After admitting the review petition, Justice Biren Vaishnav issued notice to Gujarat University, the Union government, the Chief Information Commissioner and former CIC M. Sridhar Acharyulu, who had passed the order.

In his review petition, Kejriwal said the postgraduate degree of Modi was not available on the website of the university or elsewhere in the public domain as claimed by the university and as submitted by Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, who appeared on behalf of the university.

"While the court had recorded that PM Modi's degree is available on the varsity's website following submissions to that effect by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing the university, upon a scan of the said website...(it) is found that the said degree is not available, but a document referred to as OR (Office Register) is displayed," the review petition moved by Kejriwal said.

Pointing that Mehta had only orally submitted on the day of the hearing, that too for the first time, that the degree is available on the website, Kejriwal has pleaded that there was thus no opportunity for him to verify the oral submission and that OR cannot be considered as degree as was claimed by the varsity.

Submitting that the petitioner had not filed any application for any information and only wrote a letter in April 2016 in response to a letter by CIC, Kejriwal has added that he "never requested the CIC to treat him as an applicant for the purposes of the said information," and that CIC had instead taken up the proceedings suo motu.

Kejriwal has sought a review of the judgment and a stay on the implementation, operation and execution of the verdict until final disposal.

Earlier on March 31, Gujarat High Court had set aside the Chief Information Commission (CIC) order and ruled that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) need not furnish the degree and postgraduate degree certificates of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The High Court also imposed costs of Rs 25,000 on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who had sought details of the certificate of the Prime Minister's degree.