Gujarat HC Rejects Kejriwal’s Plea Over ₹25,000 Cost in PM Modi Degree Case

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Published: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, 14:07 [IST]

A public office holder cannot use statutory proceedings to serve political interests, the Gujarat High Court has observed while dismissing Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal’s appeal against a ₹25,000 cost imposed on him in a case concerning disclosure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree details.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice DN Ray dismissed Kejriwal’s appeal against a March 2023 order of a single judge, which had quashed a 2016 direction of the Central Information Commission (CIC) asking Gujarat University to provide information related to Modi’s degrees.

“The manner in which the appellant responded to the CIC in the proceedings against him and further pursued the matter by filing the written submissions speaks of itself and needs no further comments or observations from us,” the division bench observed.

The case originated in 2016 after Kejriwal wrote to the CIC seeking disclosure of details of Modi’s educational qualifications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The CIC subsequently directed Gujarat University to provide the information.

Gujarat University, through its registrar, challenged the CIC’s order before the Gujarat High Court. In March 2023, a single judge set aside the CIC’s direction, following which Kejriwal filed an appeal before the division bench.

The university had also sought costs against Kejriwal, arguing that the RTI Act should not be misused and that officials should not have to spend working hours responding to requests that, according to the university, served no purpose under the law.

The division bench found no error in the single judge’s judgment and dismissed Kejriwal’s appeal. It also rejected his application seeking a stay on the order.