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—blog:what-changed-in-rti-act-2025-2026-amendments [2026/08/28 19:22] (current) – created - external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +{{htmlmetatags>
 +metatag-title=What changed in the RTI Act — citizen-friendly read of
 +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 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}}
 +
 +
 +<WRAP center round info 95%>
 +**Quick Reply:** Plain-language summary of every RTI Act amendment and notification effective 2025-26 — DPDP overlap, fee revision debate, CIC vacancies, what to file differently.
 +</WRAP>
 +
 +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.
 +
 +
 +{{tag>blog rti-amendments DPDP-Act-2023 section-8-1-j CIC-vacancies fee-revision}}
 +
 +===== See Also =====
 +
 +  * [[/rules/tamil-nadu|Tamil Nadu RTI Rules 2026: Fees Plus Appeals]]
 +  * [[/blog/dpdp-rules-2025-amendment-to-rti-act|DPDP Rules, 2025: The amendment to Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act]]
 +  * [[/act|RTI Act, 2005 (Amended 14 Nov 2025): Full Text]]