AAP MLA refuses consent to disclose his degree; CIC orders disclosure

The Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Bholath in Punjab, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, has refused consent to disclose his degree and educational qualifications under the RTI Act, a move overruled by the Central Information Commission which noted "Caesar himself should be above suspicion".

Information Commissioner Divya Prakash Sinha found it a fit case of invoking "larger public interest" and ordered DAV College in Chandigarh to disclose the information to an RTI applicant.

After the ruling, Khaira told PTI, "The RTI Act allows a public authority to seek consent of third party. It is not mandatory that consent is given by the third party. I have no objection to disclosure of the information after the CIC order. The information is also part of my election affidavit which is available on the Election Commission's website."