Right to Information Wiki Blog
Latest RTI decision notes
- Right to Be Forgotten: erase old court cases from Google after Delhi HC's 2026 ruling - what the Laksh Vir Singh Yadav judgment (2026:DHC:4891) means, the three remedies (de-indexing, delinking, masking), who is eligible vs barred, and how to apply.
- Gold Rate Today in India: 24K, 22K, 18K Price and Buyer Checklist — SEO-focused gold price guide with current-rate snapshot, city buying checklist, jewellery bill calculation, hallmark checks and a light RTI route for complaint records.
- PAN Aadhaar name mismatch? Fix KYC rejections without running office to office — high-search digital identity repair map covering PAN-Aadhaar, DigiLocker, mutual fund KYC, passport holds, bank onboarding and when RTI can actually help.
- Monday Morning RTI Checklist: Fix Pending Government Work This Week — Monday action plan for pending passport, pension, ration card, FIR, PMAY, electricity, scholarship, mutation and public-service files.
- PMAY status stuck or subsidy delayed? Use RTI after this checklist — high-interest PMAY 2026 guide covering stuck beneficiary status, missing names, delayed instalments, subsidy confusion, grievance steps and record-based RTI drafting.
- BCCI outside RTI: CIC decision in Geeta Rani case explained — legal analysis of CIC/MOYAS/A/2018/123236 after the Madras High Court remand, including Section 2(h), government control, substantial financing, tax concessions and practical RTI routes.
DPDP Act and Section 8(1)(j) — PIOs' New Playbook (2026)
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 reply citing both Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act 2005 and “obligations under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023” — the first time she had encountered the twin defence in a single denial.
Citizen Crisis Response Network
When a PIO cites the DPDP Act 2023 alongside Section 8(1)(j), do not assume automatic validity; neither statute permits blanket withholding of names/designations of public servants performing official duties, and failure to demonstrate individual privacy harm or fiduciary relationship renders the exemption claim invalid under RTI Section 19(8).
Why RTI rejection rates are rising in 2026—analysis
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 Officer cited “confidential commercial information” under Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act 2005 and rejected her request. Kavita's experience mirrors a troubling national pattern: rejection rates for RTI applications have surged 38% year-on-year, with over 1.47 lakh applications denied between January and September 2026 according to the Department of Personnel and Training's quarterly transparency audit.
Citizen Crisis Response Network
When your RTI is rejected unlawfully, file first appeal within 30 days under Section 19(1) RTI Act 2005, cite the exact exemption misapplied, attach copies of all correspondence, demand penalty under Section 20(1), and escalate to the State/Central Information Commission with a detailed timeline if the First Appellate Authority fails to decide within 45 days.
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.
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