PM Modi degree row: Gujarat court summons Kejriwal, Sanjay Singh
What's the story
A Gujarat court on Tuesday issued a fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, asking them to appear before it on June 7. The case relates to a defamation suit filed against the duo by the Registrar of Gujarat University, Piyush Patel, over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's academic degree.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The fresh summons came after some reports said Kejriwal and Singh were asked to appear before the court on Tuesday. However, none of them reportedly received the summons in Delhi. Both the AAP leaders have been accused of defaming Gujarat University with their "sarcastic" and "derogatory" remarks while questioning the veracity of PM Modi's postgraduate degree from the university.
Summons
Court found complaint tenable as defamation case
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate SJ Panchal issued the summons after he was informed that the previous summons didn't appear to have been received by the duo. Reportedly, Panchal's predecessor, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jayesh Chovatiya, issued the previous summons after he found prima facie that the complaint filed by Patel was tenable as a case under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Details
If degree is genuine, why not show it: Kejriwal
Patel's complaint accused Kejriwal and Singh of diminishing and hurting the university's prestige through their defamatory statements. The complaint quoted statements from Kejriwal where he said, "If there is a degree and it is genuine, then why is it not being given?" It also quoted Singh's statement, saying, "They (Gujarat University) are trying to prove the PM's fake degree as genuine."
Background
Degrees personal information, can't be disclosed under RTI: Gujarat HC
In March, the Gujarat High Court set aside a 2016 order by the Central Information Commission (CIC) that directed the Gujarat University to furnish PM Modi's degree to Kejriwal. The court said, "Educational documents including degrees fall within the ambit of personal information of a citizen," and thus are exempted from disclosure under Section 8(1)(j) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.