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Editorial notes on legislative changes, major judgments, Commission orders, and practitioner issues under the Right to Information Act, 2005. Posts are published as matters are notified and are reviewed periodically.
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Scope
The blog covers the following categories.
- Legislative changes. Amendments to the Act, rules notified under it, and allied legislation that touches the right to information.
- Judgments. Decisions of the Supreme Court, the High Courts, and the Information Commissions that refine the working of the Act.
- Commission orders. Orders of administrative significance from the Central Information Commission and the State Information Commissions.
- Practitioner notes. Notes on drafting, appeals, penalties, third-party procedure, and recurring grounds of rejection.
- Status of the Commissions. Composition, pendency, and functioning of the Central and State Information Commissions.
Recent posts
Transparency International India CPI 2025
Transparency 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 accompanying India report has data points that matter for RTI users.
8 RTI success stories from 2025
Eight 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 CIC orders and verified media reports.
- MGNREGA wage arrears, Jharkhand — A panchayat-level RTI exposed Rs. 2.4 crore in wage arrears; SC-monitored PIL restored payments to ~12,000 workers.
- Mumbai water-tanker scam — RTI revealed contractor over-billing of Rs. 18 crore; municipal commissioner ordered FIR.
- PMAY-G ghost beneficiaries, Bihar — RTI to BDO showed 1,400 sanctioned PMAY-G houses without any construction; recovery initiated.
- TN private school fee hike — Parent-association RTI obtained audited accounts, forced fee rollback.
- DDA flat allotment irregularities — RTI exposed selective-allotment pattern; CBI took over.
- Karnataka mining illegal extraction — Citizen RTI showed 3.2 lakh tonnes unauthorised extraction; royalty recovery initiated.
- UP teacher recruitment scam — RTI for OMR sheets revealed answer-key manipulation; recruitment quashed.
- Maharashtra hospital drug stock-out — Civil-society coalition RTI on 38 PHCs led to drug-supply chain reform.
The pattern: specific RTI + media + judicial follow-up is more effective than RTI alone. Citizens combining all three are winning.
RTI fee rationalisation — the 2024-25 debate, and what 2026 looks like
Currently: Rs. 10 application fee + Rs. 2/page. DoPT's 2024 OM proposed Rs. 50 + Rs. 20/page, citing inflation and processing costs.
Electoral Bonds judgment aftermath
In 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 election-funding transparency.
Judicial RTI — what citizens can and cannot get from courts in 2026
The Supreme Court's position on RTI to itself has evolved through three landmark rulings. Here's where it stands today.
RTI and private companies — where the line stands in 2026
A private company is generally not a public authority under §2(h). But three categories complicate that: substantially financed, performing public function, and PPP arrangements.
Police departments are the largest RTI rejecters in 2025
The 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 rejections.
First Appeal vs Second Appeal — strategy guide for 2026
The 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.
RTI vs Citizens' Charters — which one gets you action faster?
Two parallel tools for the frustrated citizen: Citizens' Charter (ministry-specific service-delivery promise) and RTI Act §6 application (30-day information).
RTI helplines that citizens actually use
Helplines 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 — not just recorded messages.
Full archive
For the complete list of posts, see the blog archive.
Related
- Templates. Ready-to-use drafts for applicants, Public Information Officers, and First Appellate Authorities.
- Case law library. Landmark decisions indexed by section.
- Live tracker. Current composition of the Central Information Commission, pendency figures, and recent notifications.
Last reviewed on
19 April 2026