The lead. RTI law and its administration have shifted significantly in 2025-26. The DPDP Act rewrote §8(1)(j). Information Commissions are running at 50% strength. Fee revision was proposed and deferred. This pillar tracks every change with its citizen impact.
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, in §44(3), amended RTI §8(1)(j). The “unwarranted invasion” qualifier is gone. Public-interest carve-out remains but at a higher threshold. What citizens must do: frame requests for published / gazetted versions of personal information; pre-empt §8(1)(j) refusal in the application. Read full guide.
What citizens can do: rely on First Appeal more aggressively; file Article 226 writs for time-sensitive matters; cite Anjali Bhardwaj v. UoI 2019 which mandates 90-day vacancy filling.
Full breakdown: SIC vacancies 2026.
DoPT proposed Rs 50 application fee in 2024 (OM 1/2/2024-IR). Deferred after parliamentary backlash. As of April 2026, ₹10 still applies centrally. State fees vary — see state directory.
Full debate: Fee rationalisation 2026.
Full digest: SC RTI 2025-26.
CIC Annual Report 2024-25 shows rejection rate 4.4% (vs 3.3% in FY23). Top grounds:
Read why and what to do.
ADR v. UoI (Feb 2024) struck down Electoral Bonds. New RTI handles for election-funding transparency emerged. ECI publishes EB data; income-tax dept now subject to scrutiny. See aftermath guide.
8 cases where citizen RTIs changed systems — MGNREGA wage arrears, PMAY ghost beneficiaries, school fee hikes, mining royalty recovery. Read all 8.