New Delhi: Expressing his dismay over being fined for seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree certificates, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the country has the right to know how much their Prime Minister is educated and “an illiterate or less educated PM is dangerous for the country”.
Taking to Twitter, the Delhi CM wrote, “Doesn't the country even have the right to know how much their PM has read? He vehemently opposed showing the degree in the court. Why? And those who demand to see their degree will be fined? What is this happening? Illiterate or less educated PM is very dangerous for the country.”
This comes after the Gujarat High Court ruled that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) need not furnish the details of the PM’s degree certificates and also slapped fine of Rs 25,000 on CM Kejriwal for seeking them.
It is to be noted that the single-judge Justice Biren Vaishnav set aside the order of the Chief Information Commission (CIC) directing the public information officer (PIO) of PMO and the PIOs of Gujarat University and Delhi University to furnish details of Modi's graduate and postgraduate degrees.
In 2016, Gujarat University had moved the court challenging the order passed by CIC directing it to provide information to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on the graduation degree of PM Modi.
During the previous hearings, the Gujarat University vehemently objected to the CIC's order saying "irresponsible childish curiosity" of someone cannot become public interest under the Right to Information Act.
Notably, the then information commissioner M Sridhar Acharyulu had passed the direction to the PMO to provide information of PM Modi's graduation and post-graduation degrees to Gujarat University as well as Delhi University to help them in searching those documents.