The Central Information Commission has directed Jawaharlal Nehru University to allow professor Moushumi Basu to inspect promotion records after she alleged bias and undue favoritism. The university’s RTI denial was set aside, with CIC ruling that personal data exemptions cannot block access to information needed to address service-related grievances.

New Delhi: The Central Information Commission has allowed a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University to inspect the varsity’s promotion records after he moved the commission alleging “bias in promotions” and claiming that “ineligible candidates are getting promoted due to undue favour from the higher-ups”.

The Central Information Commission (CIC) also set aside the university's denial in the matter in an RTI reply.

The case stems from an RTI application filed by Moushumi Basu, a faculty member at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), seeking details of promotion cases under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) between February 2022 and March 2025, including names of faculty members, stages of promotion, and dates of interviews and orders, along with pending cases.

In its reply, the university provided only numerical figures – “215 Nos.” for promotion cases and “89 Nos.” for pending cases – stating that "the other information is exempted from disclosure under sections 8(e) and (j) of the RTI Act, 2005”.