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Judicial RTI — what citizens can and cannot get from courts in 2026

RTI on judicial records — what is and isn't disclosable. The Gandaiah-Bandopadhyay-CJI 2019 trilogy and where the line sits in 2026.

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 +{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(RTI judicial records, court RTI, judicial transparency, Khanapuram Gandaiah, judicial RTI 2026)
 +metatag-description=(RTI on judicial records — what is and isn't disclosable. The Gandaiah-Bandopadhyay-CJI 2019 trilogy and where the line sits in 2026.)}}
 +
 +====== Judicial RTI — what citizens can and cannot get from courts in 2026 ======
 +
 +{{ :social:auto:rti-for-judicial-records-current-state.png?direct&1200 }}
 +
 +The Supreme Court's position on RTI to itself has evolved through three landmark rulings. Here's where it stands today.
 +
 +===== The trilogy =====
 +  - **Khanapuram Gandaiah (2010)** — RTI cannot demand **reasons for judicial decisions**; reasoning is in the order itself.
 +  - **Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011)** — examination answer-scripts are "information"; foundational disclosure principle.
 +  - **CPIO Supreme Court v. Subhash Chandra Agrawal (2019)** — **CJI office is a "public authority"**; disclosure subject to three-step test (motive, public interest, privacy).
 +
 +===== What is disclosable today =====
 +  * Court statistics, pendency, case-disposal data.
 +  * Judicial appointments process (post-decisional).
 +  * Asset declarations of judges (subject to test).
 +  * Administrative side circulars and decisions.
 +  * Court infrastructure spending.
 +
 +===== What is not disclosable =====
 +  * Judicial reasoning beyond the order — Gandaiah bar.
 +  * Note files of collegium pre-decision.
 +  * Identity of parties in sealed matters.
 +  * Judges' personal financial records (full).
 +
 +===== Practical drafting for judicial RTI =====
 +  - File to **Registrar (Administrative)**, not the judge.
 +  - Frame as "**administrative side**" information.
 +  - Cite **Bandopadhyay + 2019 CJI ruling** for disclosure prima facie; rely on three-step test.
 +  - For pendency/listing, **eCourts portal** often suffices without RTI.
 +
 +===== High Court RTI =====
 +Most HCs have separate RTI rules; some have set higher fees (Delhi HC: Rs. 50). Check the specific HC website before filing.
 +
 +===== Sources =====
 +  - Khanapuram Gandaiah (2010). Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011). CPIO Supreme Court v. SCA (2019).
 +  - Court rules of HCs.
 +
 +//Last reviewed: 25 April 2026.//
 +
 +{{tag>blog judicial-rti supreme-court CJI Gandaiah Bandopadhyay collegium}}