Over 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 (Association for Democratic Reforms v. UoI 2024) — already digested. Here are five less-discussed but practically powerful rulings.

The 2019 Constitution Bench held that the CJI office is a “public authority”. A 2025 follow-up Bench held that collegium decision-making notes are post-decisional and disclosable subject to the three-step test. Use this when seeking judicial-administration information.

A 2025 SC ruling clarified that the DPDP §44(3) amendment of §8(1)(j) does not override the larger public interest test of the residual proviso to §8. Public-interest disclosure remains possible — the threshold is higher.

A 2025 PIL led to a direction that CIC vacancies must be filled within 90 days of arising. Cite this in delay grievances.

A 2025 ruling reaffirmed that §24 exemption does not extend to “allegations of human rights violation” — the proviso. Use this when seeking inquiry/discipline information against any §24-listed agency.

A 2025 ruling upheld the CIC's power to award personal costs against PIOs for vexatious refusal. Cite this in second appeals.

The pattern: the Court is firming up procedural enforcement of RTI, while calibrating the privacy-public-interest balance. Both are useful for citizens who file with precision.

1. Supreme Court website case status (2025-26).
2. Live Law / Bar & Bench digests.
3. CIC quarterly bulletins.

Last reviewed: 25 April 2026.