Editorial notes on legislative changes, major judgments, Commission orders, and practitioner issues under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
In March 2025, Bengaluru-based activist Meera Shah filed RTI/KA/2025/00112 seeking employee names and designations in a ₹4.2 crore road contract awarded by BBMP, only to receive a …
Read post →On 18 March 2026, Ramesh Thakur from Patna filed his second appeal (RTI/APIC/201603/000987) with the Central Information Commission after waiting nine months for his first-appeal r…
In March 2026, Kavita Sharma from Pune filed an RTI application asking for tender documents related to a ₹12 crore road project in her ward. Within ten days, the Public Information…
Ten Supreme Court decisions anchor the working PIO's daily toolkit — from Aditya Bandopadhyay's narrowing of the Section 8(1)(e) fiduciary exemption to the 2024 Electoral Bonds jud…
blogSection 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, 2005 was substituted by Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act, 2023 — effective from the date the DPDP Rules, 2025 were notified (14 November 2025). The cla…
blogA First Appeal under Section 19(1) is heard by the First Appellate Authority (FAA) — an officer one rank above the PIO, within the same public authority — within 30 days of the PIO…
blogYou spent a Sunday afternoon writing your Right to Information application. You walked to the post office. You paid Rs. 10. You posted it by Speed Post. You kept the receipt like a…
blogLegally, no. A public servant cannot retaliate against an RTI applicant — Section 6(2) of the RTI Act bars the PIO from even asking the applicant's motive, let alone taking adverse…
blogSomewhere in the last few months, you took a decision an applicant did not like. Perhaps you upheld a penalty. Perhaps you transferred them. Perhaps you refused a routine favour. N…
blogEight statutory clocks govern an RTI from filing to Second Appeal: 30 days (PIO disposal), 48 hours (life-and-liberty), 5 days (§6(3) transfer), 10 days (§11 third-party notice), 3…
blogSection 20(1) of the RTI Act 2005 empowers the Central / State Information Commission to impose a penalty of Rs 250 per day of delay, subject to a cap of Rs 25,000, on a Public Inf…
delhi-high-court//A practitioner-ready analysis of the Delhi High Court's December 2024 direction on disclosure of %%PhD%% theses under the Right to Information Act, 2005. Written for researchers,…
rti* DPDP Act vs RTI Conflicts: The 2026 Legal Landscape * Simple Comparison Table for the Common Man * Evolving Judicial and CIC Precedents (2025-2026) * Practical Impacts on RTI Fil…
rtiFile RTI after DPDP 2026: 5 proven strategies beating the wave of Section 8(1)(j) rejections. India's independent Right to Information reference, updated 2026. //Updated: 20 April …
rti//A practitioner note on how a Public Information Officer is to decide an application that engages personal information after the notification of the Digital Personal Data Protecti…
rti//An evaluatory account of how the Right to Information Act, 2005 has been altered between 2015 and 2025 by Parliament, the Supreme Court, the High Courts, the Information Commissi…
state-rti-analysisThe RTI Act 2005 is a single Central Act, but how citizens use it varies sharply by state. A few reasons: - Each state has its own RTI Rules (fee, payment mode, language) and its o…
rti* What. Information Commissioner Sudha Rani Relangi held that an advocate cannot file an RTI on behalf of a client regarding the very case the advocate is handling. The Commission …
rtiThe Right to Information Act, 2005 took effect on 12 October 2005. Over the past twenty years, it has generated one of the largest citizen-to-state information flows in the democra…
rtiThe Right to Information Act, 2005 is often described as a legal right. It is more than that. In practice, it is a way of asking — a carefully drafted question, a Rs. 10 postal ord…
passportPassport office had issued show cause notice to the complainant as an adverse report from SP Coimbatore was received during police verification. The complainant had filed RTI appli…
benefitsWhat are the real benefits of Right to Information for a common man. Read the full guide on RTI Wiki — India's independent Right to Information reference. What are the real benefit…
twitterHere is our new social media banner to promote Right to Information. Thanks for all the links and support for this recent campaign. Here is the twitter profile of ours: https://twi…
EditorialThe Delhi High Court's landmark ruling in December 2024 regarding the disclosure of %%PhD%% theses under India's Right to Information (RTI) Act has sent ripples through the academi…
rti* Economic Survey 2025-26 RTI Re-Examination * Simple Breakdown Table for Everyone * Key Proposals and the Backlog Stats * Implications Demarcated by Stakeholder * What Happens Nex…
rtiIn //Appellant v. Medical Council of India// (CIC File No. CIC/YA/A/2016/001453, decided 9 January 2017), the Central Information Commission addressed a PIO refusal on an RTI seeki…
blogThe Central Information Commission issued ~3,200 final orders in 2025. Here are 10 that materially expand applicant rights — cite them when filing or appealing. - CIC/MoF/A/2025/00…
EditorialKeeping in view that the citizens of the country should have access to information about leased out public properties and check drainage of public revenue with respect to such prop…
EditorialThe RTI and it's appeal pertains to Sh. Harinder Dhingra. Read the full guide on RTI Wiki — India's independent Right to Information reference. The RTI and it's appeal pertains to …
EditorialThe Commission observed that digital filing of records by notaries can be one possible solution for retrieving the record. The new records should be created by the notaries through…
EditorialThe Commission held that it is in public interest and in the interest of thousands of meritorious students that the Central Government and the MCI should direct the Medical college…
blogAs of April 2026, all 28 states + 8 UTs have an online RTI portal — in principle. In practice, usability varies wildly. //rtionline.gov.in// remains the best-in-class: fee payment,…
blogCurrently: Rs. 10 application fee + Rs. 2/page. DoPT's 2024 OM proposed Rs. 50 + Rs. 20/page, citing inflation and processing costs. * Rs. 10 unchanged since 2005 (~5x inflation). …
blogHelplines can be a lifeline when the online portal is down or the applicant is non-tech-savvy. Here are the ones that actually take calls, take drafts, and file on your behalf — no…
blogEight 2025 cases where a single citizen's RTI changed a system — from PMAY beneficiary lists to municipal tender exposure. Aggregated success stories from FY 2024-25, drawn from CI…
blogTransparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 ranked India 89th of 180 countries with a score of 39/100 — broadly stable from 85/100 in 2024. The accompanyin…
Editorial= The Evolution of Personal Information Disclosure Framework The Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act) of 2023 has introduced significant modifications to the disclosure …
EditorialIn the nearly two decades since its enactment, India's Right to Information (RTI) Act of 2005 has transformed from a revolutionary transparency tool to what some critics now call t…
rtiThe 38th session of the General Conference of UNESCO, held in November 2015, has proclaimed (link is external) 28 September as International Day for the. //Last reviewed on: 20 Apr…
blogAfter 21 years of the RTI Act 2005, citizens still under-use the most powerful provisions. Here are five rights that change outcomes — most PIOs are not actively volunteering them.…
blogThe Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 came into force in stages. Section 44(3) amends RTI Act §8(1)(j). The change is both narrower and broader than headlines suggest. §8(1…
blogThe RTI Act's two-stage escalation has shifted in importance. With CIC backlogs at 24-30 months, First Appeal (FAA) has become the real action layer. Here is the strategic playbook…
blogThe §7(1) "30 days" rule sounds simple. In practice, the clock can be paused, restarted, or extended through five circulars and ten CIC orders since 2024. §7(1) RTI Act 2005: PIO m…
blogThe most common RTI failure is not outright refusal. It's the evasive reply — selective answers, "information not held by us", "not in public interest", or silence on specific ques…
blogThe CIC Annual Report 2024-25 confirms what activists have long suspected: police departments are the single largest invokers of §8 exemptions — accounting for ~22% of all rejectio…
blogIn Association for Democratic Reforms v. UoI (Feb 2024), the Supreme Court struck down the Electoral Bonds Scheme as unconstitutional. The aftermath created new RTI handles for ele…
blogA private company is generally not a public authority under §2(h). But three categories complicate that: substantially financed, performing public function, and PPP arrangements. T…
blogThe Supreme Court's position on RTI to itself has evolved through three landmark rulings. Here's where it stands today. - Khanapuram Gandaiah (2010) — RTI cannot demand reasons for…
blogTwo parallel tools for the frustrated citizen: Citizens' Charter (ministry-specific service-delivery promise) and RTI Act §6 application (30-day information). * Straightforward ser…
blogThe Right to Information Act lives or dies at the Information Commission. In 2026, most state commissions are running at half-strength or worse. Here is the picture. * Bihar — 0 of…
blogOver the last twelve months the Supreme Court has decided several matters that practising RTI applicants must know. The headline judgment was the Electoral Bonds matter (Associatio…
blogThe RTI Act 2005 has had two significant statutory shifts since 2023, plus a flurry of administrative circulars. Here is the citizen view. The DPDP Act 2023, in §44(3), amended Sec…
blogThe CIC Annual Report 2024-25 shows rejection rates jumped from 3.3% (FY23) to 4.4% (FY25) — a 33% relative rise. The top reasons: - §8(1)(j) — personal information: 38% of rejecti…
rti//A practitioner note on what changed on 14 November 2025, how the amended clause must be read, and what Public Information Officers, First Appellate Authorities, and applicants sh…
rti//A practitioner note on the composition of the Central Information Commission, the selection process, and the pendency position the Commission inherits.// In December 2025, Shri R…
rti//A practitioner summary of the Satark Nagrik Sangathan assessment released on the twentieth anniversary of the Right to Information Act, 2005, with implications for applicants, of…
rti//An evaluatory note on the subject-matter pattern of Right to Information applications in India. Drawn from the annual reports of the Department of Personnel and Training, the pub…
pension**APPLICATIONS PERTAINING TO PENSION TO BE CONSIDERED AS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING LIFE OR LIBERTY.** The Commission held that all request for information relating to dela…
cicIn this context, a reference can be made to the decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of Central Board of Secondary Education and Anr. v. Dated: 24.03.2020 The Appell…
publicShri R K Jain V/S Indian Bank Association (IBA) Ms. lta Bose VIS Indian Bank Association (IBA). Read the full guide on RTI Wiki — India's independent Right to Inform. Shri R K Jain…
rtiAll Public Authorities shall proactively disclose RTI applications and appeals received and their responses, on the websites maintained by Public Authorities. //Last reviewed on: 2…
high-courtLegal notices sent on phone messaging application %%WhatsApp%% will be treated as valid evidence in court. Last reviewed on: 20 April 2026. //Last reviewed on: 20 April 2026// Lega…
portalWelcome to RTI INDIA Wiki Project. Using our wiki is very simple. On the left hand side of the website you will find all the links to our wiki. //Last reviewed on: 20 April 2026// …
wikiHere are the compilation of top ten pages of our wiki. These are based on the user visits. Last reviewed on: 20 April 2026. //Last reviewed on: 20 April 2026// Here are the compila…
rti%%WhatsApp%%. Part of the RTI Wiki reference for India's Right to Information Act, 2005. Last reviewed on: 20 April 2026. //Last reviewed on: 20 April 2026//
rtiIf you file your Right to Information application at rtionline.gov.in, you are ~14 percentage points more likely to receive a reply within 30 days than a citizen who files the same…