Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Nov 26: In a significant setback to Goa University’s claim that faculty qualifications are “personal information,” the Goa State Information Commission has ruled that academic certificates submitted during recruitment are public documents and must be disclosed under the Right to Information Act.

Delivering a strong order, State Chief Information Commissioner Aravind Nair overturned the First Appellate Authority’s decision and directed the University to furnish the Degree, Master’s and PhD certificates of Prof Shaila D’Souza within 10 days. He held that such documents cannot be protected under Section 8(1)(j) nor treated as “third party information.”

Nair observed that once educational certificates are submitted to a public authority for employment, they become part of official service records and fall squarely in the public domain.

Any attempt to withhold them, he said, undermines transparency in public recruitment. “These documents are with Goa University, and they cannot be denied as someone’s personal information,” the Commission stated.

The ruling follows an appeal filed by Nazario Savio P. D’Souza of St Cruz, who had sought 30 details from the University’s Administration (Teaching) section on September 30, 2024. The Public Information Officer responded partly, marking 14 items as “Not Available,” seven as “Third Party,” three as “questions,” and another under Section 8(1)(g), citing confidentiality of the selection panel.

Challenging the selective replies, the applicant moved the First Appellate Authority, which ordered corrections only for the “Not Available” entries while upholding the refusal to release the professor’s certificates on grounds of lack of consent.

Still unable to obtain key documents, the appellant approached the State Information Commission on April 1, 2025.

In its ruling, the SIC stressed that citizens have every right to verify the qualifications of individuals appointed by publicly funded institutions. Ordering complete disclosure, it directed the University PIO to issue certified copies of all three academic certificates within 10 days and submit a compliance report within 15 days of receiving the order.