New Delhi, 20 August (H.S.): The Delhi High Court on Thursday deferred the hearing on a petition seeking disclosure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree details and fixed September 29 for the next hearing.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya was hearing the matter when the petitioner’s side requested that the case be taken up later in the afternoon. The court then asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Delhi University, whether he would be available in the afternoon.

Mehta suggested that the matter be heard the following day. The court subsequently fixed September 29 as the next date of hearing. When Mehta requested that an earlier date be considered, the court said it had already checked its calendar.

Earlier, on February 10, Delhi University had argued that the petition seeking disclosure of the Prime Minister’s degree had been filed merely to create sensationalism. Appearing for the university, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had contended that the petition was not maintainable.

During the hearing, Mehta had sought additional time to file the university’s objections. He had said the university would respond both to the delay in filing the petition and to its merits.

On November 12, 2025, a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court observed that the petitions challenging an earlier single-judge order had been filed beyond the prescribed limitation period. The court directed Delhi University to file its objections concerning the delay in filing the petitions.

The petitioners include Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, RTI activist Neeraj Sharma and advocate Mohammad Irshad. They have challenged the order passed by the single judge.

Delhi University had earlier refused to disclose the degree, describing the information as personal in nature and arguing that its disclosure would serve no public interest.

Following the university’s refusal, Neeraj Sharma approached the Central Information Commission (CIC). The commission imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on Delhi University’s Public Information Officer, Meenakshi Sahay, and directed the university to provide information relating to the degree.

Delhi University subsequently approached the Delhi High Court challenging the CIC’s order, leading to the ongoing legal proceedings over disclosure of the Prime Minister’s educational records.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar