• No suit, prosecution or other legal proceeding shall lie against any person for anything done in good faith.
• 'Good faith' requires honest belief in lawfulness, not merely absence of bad intent.
• Section 20 penalty for mala fide conduct is not barred by Section 21.

No amendments.

• CIC decisions — officers who follow Commission directions in good faith are protected; those who ignore directions and later claim good faith are not.
• State of A.P. v. N. Venugopal, AIR 1964 SC 33 — good faith interpretation in statutory immunity context.

Used as a defence in rare civil suits by third parties aggrieved by disclosure. Not available to the PIO whose delay or refusal is under Section 20 scrutiny.

For drafting RTIs or appeals engaging this section, use the First RTI template or the First Appeal template. See How to fill an RTI application for structural help.

• Back to the full RTI Act
• Section 6 — Request for information
• Section 7 — Disposal
• Section 8 — Exemptions
• Section 19 — Appeals
• All explanations
• Landmark RTI decisions

1. Right to Information Act, 2005, Section 21.
2. RTI (Amendment) Act, 2019 (where applicable).
3. DPDP Rules, 2025, notified 14 November 2025 (where applicable).
4. Department of Personnel and Training, Guide on the RTI Act, 2005.

Last reviewed on: 21 April 2026