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+{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(RTI Act amendments 2025, RTI Act 2026, DPDP RTI overlap, section 8 1 j amendment, RTI changes)
+metatag-description=(Plain-language summary of every RTI Act amendment and notification effective 2025-26 — DPDP overlap, fee revision debate, CIC vacancies, what to file differently.)}}
+====== What changed in the RTI Act — citizen-friendly read of 2025-26 ======
+{{:social:auto:what-changed-in-rti-act-2025-2026-amendments.png?direct&1200 |What changed in the RTI Act — citizen-friendly read of 2025-26 — RTI Wiki}}
+The 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 §44(3) — the §8(1)(j) rewrite =====
+The DPDP Act 2023, in §44(3), **amended Section 8(1)(j)** of the RTI Act. Before: personal information could be disclosed if there was an **overriding public interest**. After: the public-interest carve-out is gone for **"personal information" of natural persons**. PIOs began rejecting wider categories — service records, beneficiary names, complaint outcomes — citing the new test.
+**What this means for you:** if you can show the information is **already in the public domain** (gazette, parliament floor, court record, prior CIC order), §44(3) does not apply. Frame your RTI to seek the **gazetted/published** version, not the personal data.
+===== Fee rationalisation debate =====
+DoPT issued an Office Memorandum (OM 1/2/2024-IR) **proposing** Rs. 50 application fee (up from Rs. 10) and Rs. 20/page (up from Rs. 2). After parliamentary objections it was **deferred**. As of April 2026, **Rs. 10 application fee + Rs. 2/page** remains the central rule. State rules vary.
+===== CIC and SIC vacancies =====
+The Information Commissions are running with **40-50% vacancies** in 2026. Backlogs at CIC are 24-30 months for second appeals. State commissions worse. **Practical impact:** rely on First Appeal (FAA) and parallel writ remedies (Article 226) for time-sensitive matters.
+===== The §24 schedule expansion threat =====
+A 2024 NSCS proposal to add **3 more agencies** to the §24 exempt schedule was withdrawn in February 2025. As of April 2026, the original 22-agency schedule (RAW, IB, etc.) stands.
+===== What to file differently now =====
+  * **Quote DPDP §44(3) defensively** — pre-empt the §8(1)(j) refusal by framing for **public-domain** facts only.
+  * **Use FAA aggressively** — CIC backlog means FAA is your real escalation.
+  * **Bundle CPGRAMS + RTI** — parallel pressure where time matters.
+  * **Cite §4(1) suo motu duty** — most PA websites are non-compliant; this is leverage.
+The Act's spirit holds; its administration has fragmented. Citizens who know the 2025-26 changes file better.
+===== Sources =====
+  - DPDP Act 2023 §44(3).
+  - DoPT OM 1/2/2024-IR on fee proposal.
+  - CIC Annual Report 2024-25.
+//Last reviewed: 25 April 2026.//
+{{tag>blog rti-amendments DPDP-Act-2023 section-8-1-j CIC-vacancies fee-revision}}