Today in Delhi High Court hearing on disclosure of DU results of 1978 (year PM Modi claims to have graduated) ASG Tushar Mehta opposed our intervention. Made no legal arguments only personal attacks- called us "busy bodies", "meddlesome interlopers seeking cheap publicity" 1/n
Key grounds of intervention- 1.Results are not personal info. DU displays results of 100s of exams online as do universities globally 2.Exemptions cited by DU not applicable for info relating to matters older than 20 yrs (S. 8(3) of RTI). ASG didn't counter these arguments 2/n
Govt adopting delay tactics & opposing disclosure of results of 1978 unnecessarily raises suspicion & doubt about veracity of PM's election affidavit. If results of exams held recently can be disclosed without undermining privacy, surely results of 1978 can't be secret! 3/n #RTI
This is not just about DU results of 1978. If Delhi HC agrees with DU, citizens will not be able to access info about results under RTI. Imagine parents wanting to verify that doctor operating on their kid has a medical degree, will not be able to seek necessary information! 4/n
Given the rot in the education system- fake degree scams, VYAPAM and recruitment scams- we need greater transparency through RTI to ensure accountability and rule of law. Secrecy promotes corruption, wrong doing & abuse of power. 5/5
