NEW DELHI : The Delhi High Court has ruled that Delhi University (DU) is not required to make public Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s academic records from 1978, overturning a previous directive by the Central Information Commission (CIC).

The judgment, delivered by Justice Sachin Datta, nullifies the CIC’s 2016 order that had instructed the university to allow inspection of documents relating to Modi’s Bachelor of Arts degree, along with records of all students who passed the same examination year.

The case stems from an RTI application filed nearly a decade ago, which sought access to DU’s list of successful BA candidates from 1978. While the CIC considered the documents public in nature and ordered disclosure, Delhi University challenged the ruling in the High Court.

In its appeal, DU argued that releasing such information would amount to a breach of student privacy, as the records contained personal details of third parties. The university also stated that while it could produce the documents in court if required, it should not be compelled to release them publicly under the RTI framework.

The High Court agreed with DU’s stance, stating that the CIC’s order could not stand. A detailed written judgment is expected to follow.

The ruling marks the latest development in a long-running dispute over the disclosure of the Prime Minister’s academic qualifications. Parties involved in the case now have the option to escalate the matter further to the Supreme Court.