The Delhi High Court on Monday overturned a Central Information Commission (CIC) order that had directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to allow inspection of the Class X and XII records of former Union Minister Smriti Irani. Justice Sachin Datta, presiding over the case, stated that the right to information under Section 3 of the RTI Act is not absolute and is subject to exemptions under Section 8(1). The court emphasized that merely publishing information on some occasions does not diminish the legal protection given to personal information under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act.

The court noted that there was no implicit public interest in disclosing the information sought through the RTI application, particularly since the educational qualifications were not a statutory requirement for holding public office or discharging official duties. Justice Datta observed that revealing academic details without an overriding public interest would intrude into the personal sphere, which is constitutionally protected. The ruling cited the Supreme Court's KS Puttuswamy judgment in support of this view.

The case originated from an RTI application filed by Mohd. Naushadudin, who sought information on Irani's educational qualifications. The CBSE's Public Information Officer (PIO) and the first appellate authority denied the information, but the CIC directed the CBSE on January 17, 2017, to facilitate inspection of records and provide certified copies of the requested documents, excluding personal details on admit cards and mark sheets. The CBSE then challenged the CIC's directive in the High Court.

Justice Datta highlighted that the CIC's order extended to directing a private school to trace Irani's roll number and provide it to the CBSE, which the court found to be outside the scope of the RTI Act. The court also cautioned that disclosing such information could lead to a flood of similar demands driven by curiosity or sensationalism, rather than genuine public interest. The RTI Act was intended to promote transparency in government operations, not to provide material for sensationalism, the court added.

The High Court's decision also addressed a similar plea from Delhi University (DU) against a CIC order to disclose information regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bachelor's degree. Justice Datta delivered a common judgment for both cases, which had been reserved on February 27. The court's decision aligns with the principle that personal academic information is not inherently public and that an overriding public interest must be demonstrated before such information can be disclosed.

Irani's educational qualifications have been a subject of controversy, with allegations of contradictory information in affidavits filed before elections in 2004, 2011, and 2014. In her 2004 Lok Sabha election affidavit, Irani stated that she completed her BA in 1996 from Delhi University's School of Correspondence, while in a 2011 affidavit for a Rajya Sabha election, she stated her highest qualification was BCom Part I.