Was K. S. Shastri Vice Chancellor when PM Modi Awarded MA Degree?

There have been controversies and debates surrounding the educational qualifications of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Recently, the Gujarat High Court fined Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ₹ 25,000 for using the Right to Information (RTI) to obtain PM Modi’s degree. 

Now, a claim is circulating on social media alleging that Gujarat University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor K. S. Shastri had completed his tenure two years before the Gujrat University issued PM Modi’s degree.

Fact Crescendo received the claim on our WhatsApp Tipline (9049053770) with fact-check requests.

We found that the claim is false. K. S. Shastri was indeed serving as the Vice-Chancellor when PM Modi completed his Master’s degree in Political Science from Gujrat University.

WHAT’S THE CLAIM?

Social media posts are circulating an image of PM Modi’s MA degree along with another image featuring Prof. Shastri’s photograph with his designation as Vice-Chancellor and tenure from 22-08-1980 to 13-07-1981.

Original Post – Facebook | Facebook

The text accompanying claims that Prof. Shastri, who had signed Prime Minister Modi’s degree, had ended his tenure in 1981, while Modi’s degree was issued in 1983 with his signature. 

This has raised questions about how an out-of-tenured Vice-Chancellor’s signature could appear on the degree certificate.

The same claim is widely shared on Facebook. 

FACT-CHECK

Using the information provided in the post, we conducted a Google search for “K. S. Shastri, Vice-Chancellor, 22-08-1980 to 13-07-1981,” which led us to the official website of Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU).

On the incumbency chart of the Vice Chancellor of the VNSGU, we came across the same photograph of Professor K. S. Shastri as featured in the viral post.

However, it should be noted that the MA degree awarded to PM Modi was by Gujarat University, and not by Veer Narmad South Gujarat University (VNSGU).

Thus, we checked the official website of Gujarat University and found a list of past Vice-Chancellors of the institution. According to the list, Prof. K. S. Shastri served as the Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat University from 1981 to 1987.

Narendra Modi was issued an MA degree in 1983. That means Prof. K. S. Shastri was indeed the Vice-Chancellor when PM Modi received the MA degree from Gujrat University. 

Narendra Modi was awarded his MA degree in 1983, during which time Prof. K. S. Shastri was serving as the Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat University. Therefore, it can be confirmed that Shastri did sign Modi’s degree certificate during his tenure as Vice-Chancellor.

Prof. Shastri is currently the chairman of the advisory committee at Som Lalit College in Ahmedabad.

As per the Gujarat University records, PM Modi passed his M.A. in Political Science in 1983 with first class, securing 499 out of 800 marks (62.3 percent), as an external student. 

Gujarat University has also recognized Prime Minister Modi, along with Home Minister Amit Shah, as a notable alumnus on its official website.

Back in 2016, Amit Shah publicly shared both of PM Modi’s degrees, including his Bachelor of Arts from Delhi University and his Master of Arts from Gujarat University. These degrees were made available in the public domain.

CONCLUSION

The claim that Prof. K. S. Shastri was not the Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat University at the time PM Modi was awarded his MA degree is false. It has been established that Prof. Shastri was the Vice-Chancellor of Gujarat University from 1981 to 1987, which means he was the Vice-Chancellor when PM Modi received his MA degree in 1983. Thus, his name and signature appear on the degree certificate.