The Gujarat High Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s challenge to a Rs 25,000 cost imposed on him in the litigation over information relating to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational degrees.In an order made available on Friday, a division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D N Ray reserved the judgment after hearing the parties.Kejriwal is challenging the Rs 25,000 cost imposed by a single judge in March 2023 while setting aside a 2016 Central Information Commission (CIC) direction asking Gujarat University to provide information concerning degrees in PM Modi’s name.The single judge had held that information concerning the Prime Minister’s educational degrees was exempt from disclosure under Sections 8(1)(e) and 8(1)(j) of the Right to Information Act in the absence of a larger public interest justifying its disclosure. The University had moved the High Court against the CIC direction.During the hearings, Kejriwal’s counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi challenged the basis for imposing the cost, submitting that the principal criticism against Kejriwal was that he had “persisted” with the proceedings despite the degree-related information being available on the university’s website. Singhvi argued that the university itself had described the material uploaded on its website as a “record of degree”, rather than the degree itself, pointing out that Kejriwal had not filed any reply for nearly three years and questioned how he could therefore be said to have persisted with the proceedings.Also Read | PM Modi lied to people about his BA degree, alleges Arvind KejriwalAt the hearing on September 16, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing virtually for the authorities, had submitted that the RTI Act could not be used merely to satisfy public curiosity and that dealing with such requests could divert administrative resources from the university’s regular functioning. The Solicitor General had also urged the court to impose costs on Kejriwal.The dispute arises from proceedings before the CIC concerning disclosure of information relating to PM Modi’s degrees. The CIC had in 2016 directed Gujarat University to provide the information, a direction that the University subsequently challenged before the High Court. The single judge set aside the CIC order in March 2023 and also imposed the Rs 25,000 cost on Kejriwal and the AAP leader challenged the order.Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues. Expertise: Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including: Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground. Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure. Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case). Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions. Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More