Degrees of probity

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the CBSE to allow inspection of Class 10 and 12 records of Union Minister Smriti Irani, rejecting the school board’s contention that it constituted “personal information”. A similar direction was given to Delhi University last month regarding Prime Minister Modi’s graduation degree. The basis for the denial of records in both cases was privacy of the individuals concerned. It is, however, conveniently ignored that these are not just any students, but major public personalities who have already made declarations of their academic qualifications and dates of birth in affidavits. The public has the right to ask for proof of any claim their representatives have made.

The larger issue of Modi's and Irani’s qualifications is a matter of perceptions. It does no credit to the high offices these individuals hold that they may be seen as making the slightest attempt to hide any personal information, especially what is recorded in public offices. In fact, the high podium on which people place a Prime Minister is a spot where nothing remains private. That is the price you pay when you seek the power over people's lives, for good or bad. It is also bad in politics that the BJP should take up the defence of the Prime Minister and then put up a weak case, as it did last year when Arun Jaitley and Amit Shah held a press conference, only to show photocopies of the purported degrees of the Prime Minister. Either do not take cognizance of a matter, or put up an irrefutable defence.

But the shenanigans over the matter may have revealed an uglier side of the government. The portfolio of HRD Ministry was taken away from Information Commissioner M. Sridhar Acharyulu within days of his order on the Prime Minister being reported in the media. Does the government exercise influence over autonomous bodies such as the CIC? What signal would this send to other institutions on which rests our democracy? The answers to these questions might be more important than the authenticity of the degrees.