The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said that the petitions challenging the single bench order on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's degree dispute case have been filed after the stipulated time limit. According to The Hindu report, the court directed Delhi University to file its objection on filing of petitions late. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao  granted the university three weeks to file objections to the petitions. The next hearing in the case will be held on January 16, 2026. The bench was told that there was delay in filing appeals challenging the August order of the single judge.It is known that those who filed the petition include Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh, RTI activist Neeraj Sharma and lawyer Mohammad Irshad. These petitioners have challenged the order of the single bench, in which the bench of Justice Sachin Dutta had on September 25, allowed the petition filed by Delhi University against the order of the Central Information Commission and quashed the order of the Central Information Commission. It is known that the Central Information Commission had imposed a fine of Rs 25 thousand on Delhi University's Information Officer Meenakshi and the Commission had also ordered to provide information related to the degree.Delhi University had approached the Delhi High Court against this decision of the Central Information Commission. During the hearing before the single bench, Delhi University stated that it had no objection to showing the degree to the court, but it could not be displayed to the public. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Delhi University, argued that the degree of a student who is currently the Prime Minister of India is being sought. He stated that Delhi University has nothing to hide. The university maintains a register annually. At the same time, during the hearing, it was said on behalf of the petitioner that giving a degree to a student under the Right to Information is not a private act but a public act.During the hearing, Shadan, the lawyer representing the petitioner, argued that Delhi University is a public authority under the Right to Information Act. Therefore, information about a person's degree cannot be denied based on the intentions of the person seeking the information. Delhi University refused to share this information, saying it was private information and that it served no public interest. During the hearing, the single bench judge had said that educational qualifications are not in the nature of any statutory requirement for holding any public office or discharging official responsibilities.The judge had also said that if educational qualification was a necessary criterion for holding a specific public office, the situation would have been different. The court had termed the CIC's approach as 'completely wrong'. It is noteworthy that the High Court had also quashed the CIC order in which CBSE was directed to provide copies of Class 10 and 12 records of former Union Minister Smriti Irani. It's worth noting that the petition regarding PM Modi's degree was filed in 2017, and the order was stayed on the first hearing date. Kumar filed an application in 2016 seeking the results of all students who enrolled in the BA program in 1978, including Prime Minister Modi. The CIC then ordered DU to disclose the information, stating that matters related to a student's education  could be made public.In March 2023, the Gujarat High Court had quashed another 2016 CIC  directive  asking former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to provide details of Modi's educational qualifications. (589) Submit