NewDelhi: BJP leader and union minister for textiles Simriti Irani has asked the Delhi University’s school of open learning not to release her educational records under the right to information law but the university may soon not have a choice on this.
The central information commission has told the university’s open school to produce the documents for its perusal before it delivers its order on a RTI application filed by Mohd Naushaduddin, a resident of Jharkhand.
Smriti Irani [File Photo]
With reference to the editorial published in an English vernacular the commission had initially told the university to produce the information in December. But when the university’s information officer skipped the hearing twice, Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu gave him one last opportunity to appear before the commission on February 10.
The school of open learning had told the commission in an earlier hearing that it had decided not to release the information about Irani’s educational records at her request.
In a statement to the Hindustan Times (HT) Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu maintained that “the CPIO (central public information officer) pleaded that information sought was given by the former HRD Minister in fiduciary capacity and hence could not be divulged.”
But there is no way the commission, which rejected a similar argument from the central board of secondary education earlier this week, can come to a different conclusion,said the media.