Arvind Kejriwal doubled down on his accusation a day after the Gujarat High Court fined him and decided that the specifics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational background were unnecessary.
The Gujarat High Court’s ruling, according to Arvind Kejriwal, raises many concerns about the schooling of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must be educated because he makeS many decisions, according to Mr. Kejriwal.
“There can only be two reasons why Gujarat University is not ready to give information on the Prime Minister’s academic qualification – it’s either due to the his arrogance, or, his degree is fake, he alleged.
An order to the Gujarat University to disclose information about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degrees was overturned by the high court yesterday.
Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, was also fined 25,000 by Gujarat High Court Justice Biren Vaishnav for requesting these details when they were already in the public realm. He had four weeks to pay the fee, according to the court’s request.
“The insistence of Arvind Kejriwal to get the educational degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi through RTI route, when the same is already available in the public domain, creates doubt on Kejriwal’s bonafide and motive,” Justice Vaishnav said.
He further observed, “Arvind Kejriwal doubtlessly used an appeal against him to kickstart and trigger a controversy not falling within the purview of the RTI Act for the objects and purpose this court need not go into”.
In response to an RTI (Right to Information) request from the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2016, then-Central Information Commission M. Sridhar Acharyulu ordered Gujarat University and Delhi University to provide details on PM Modi’s undergraduate and graduate degrees.
The Gujarat University quickly posted PM Modi’s diploma on its website, but at the same time, it challenged the Information Commission’s decision on moral grounds.
Last month, Gujarat University’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued before the high court that the two universities should not be compelled to disclose the information.
“We cannot be asked to furnish the information to satisfy someone’s childish and irresponsible curiosity,” Mr. Mehta said.
The court ruling intensifies the debate surrounding AAP’s assertive campaign emphasizing the PM’s education.
The BJP accused Mr. Kejriwal of “peddling lies” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “What Mr. Kejriwal is doing reflects his frustration. He is naturally frustrated as his government ministers are in jail on charges of corruption and being involved in a liquor scam,” said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.
