New Delhi, Aug 25 (HS): The Delhi High Court on Monday stayed a Central Information Commission (CIC) order that had directed the disclosure of former Union Minister Smriti Irani’s class 10 and 11 academic records.

A bench of Justice Sachin Datta observed that the Right to Information (RTI) Act does not mandate disclosure of personal details, as Section 8(1) provides exemptions to protect individual privacy. The court underlined that the RTI plea was not in the nature of a public interest petition and there was no statutory necessity to seek information relating to academic qualifications.

The petition had been filed by Naushaduddin, who had sought Irani’s academic details under RTI. While the Public Information Officer and First Appellate Authority had declined disclosure, the CIC on January 17, 2017, had directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to provide certified copies of her academic records.

Ruling in Irani’s favour, the High Court held that disclosure of such information without demonstrable public interest would amount to intrusion into personal matters. It also referred to the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in K.S. Puttaswamy on the right to privacy. The court observed that compelling CBSE to trace her roll number and disclose educational details was contrary to the spirit of the RTI Act.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar