Anand Teltumbde: Why the controversy about Modi’s degrees is a test for Indian democracy

The Delhi High Court’s judgment on August 25 that Delhi University need not disclose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree has ignited fresh debate about transparency, truth and accountability in Indian democracy.

The court’s claim that such disclosure intrudes into personal privacy raises questions not only about the balance between privacy and the right to information but also about the integrity of electoral politics.

At its heart lies a simple but explosive issue: if the prime minister’s degree is fake, it amounts to having filed a false affidavit under election law, which would attract disqualification and even criminal prosecution. That the judiciary has chosen to shut the matter down instead of allowing scrutiny reveals the depth of institutional compromise.

This controversy cannot be dismissed as a minor distraction. It strikes at the foundations of constitutional democracy: truth in representation, accountability of those in public office and the ability of citizens to verify claims made by their leaders.

In a polity where image management has replaced substantive politics, the prime minister’s degree has become more than a certificate – it is a symbol of how spectacle overwhelms truth.

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The Delhi High Court’s decision, after nearly nine years, to quash the Central Information Commission’s directive in 2016 asking Delhi...

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