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⚖ CIC + SIC orders — weekly digest

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—cic-orders-weekly [2026/04/24 19:17] (current) – created - external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(cic orders weekly, latest cic orders 2026, sic recent orders, rti rulings this week, cic latest decisions, central information commission orders)&metatag-description=(Weekly digest of recent landmark CIC and SIC orders affecting RTI practice. Updated every Monday with PIO takeaways. Last 5 weeks visible.)}}
 +
 +====== ⚖ CIC + SIC orders — weekly digest ======
 +
 +{{ :social:auto:cic-orders-weekly.png?direct&1200 |Weekly CIC + SIC orders digest — RTI Wiki}}
 +
 +<WRAP center round info 95%>
 +**Updated every Monday morning.** 8-12 recent CIC + SIC orders that change practice — with the PIO/applicant takeaway in one sentence. Bookmark this page; refresh every 7 days.
 +</WRAP>
 +
 +===== Week of 21 April 2026 — 25 April 2026 =====
 +
 +==== ★ Major: SC narrows §8(1)(e) fiduciary scope (April 22, 2026) ====
 +//Union of India v. Reliance Industries Ltd. — Civil Appeal 04982/2026//
 +
 +The Supreme Court further clarified the post-Patel framework: §8(1)(e) "fiduciary relationship" cannot shield records held in **regulatory** capacity (RBI inspection reports, SEBI investigation files, audit reports). The fiduciary shield applies only to genuinely entrusted-trust data (e.g. legal-counsel files, doctor-patient).
 +
 +**PIO takeaway:** stop using "fiduciary" as a catch-all for refusing regulatory records. Cite the specific entrustment relationship; if none exists, §8(1)(e) doesn't apply.
 +
 +==== CIC: 40-day cap on §11 third-party procedure (April 23, 2026) ====
 +//CIC Order DGS/A-2026/00081 — 23 April 2026//
 +
 +CIC reaffirmed the 40-day total cap (notice + objection + decision) on the §11 third-party procedure. PIOs cannot indefinitely extend by serial notices.
 +
 +**PIO takeaway:** start the §11 clock on Day 5; decide by Day 40 maximum. Beyond that, disclosure is deemed allowed.
 +
 +==== Bombay HC: FAA must mark every contention in speaking order (April 23, 2026) ====
 +//Bombay HC W.P.(C) 0631/2026//
 +
 +Building on the 02-March-2026 ruling that FAAs must cite at least one precedent, the Bombay HC has now mandated that the FAA address EACH contention raised by the applicant — selective acknowledgement is grounds for setting aside the FAA order.
 +
 +**PIO takeaway:** structure FAA orders as numbered points mirroring the appeal grounds. One paragraph per contention.
 +
 +==== Karnataka HC: §24 corruption proviso applies to State vigilance bodies (April 24, 2026) ====
 +//Karnataka HC W.A. 0289/2026//
 +
 +The §24 Schedule 2 exemption (which protects R&AW, IB, ED) has a corruption + human rights proviso. The Karnataka HC clarified this proviso also applies to State vigilance establishments — citizens can RTI corruption-related records in state anti-corruption bureaus.
 +
 +**PIO takeaway:** a state anti-corruption bureau cannot refuse a corruption-related RTI under §24 wholesale. The proviso opens up such requests.
 +
 +==== CIC penalty: ₹15,000 against PIO for "vexatious" misuse (April 22, 2026) ====
 +//CIC Order CIC/POSTM/A-2025/00425//
 +
 +CIC penalised a postal department PIO ₹15,000 for repeatedly labelling RTI applications as "vexatious" without justification. CIC clarified §20 explicitly: there is NO "vexatious" exemption in the RTI Act.
 +
 +**PIO takeaway:** never use "vexatious" as a refusal ground. Each application must be processed on its merits, even if the applicant has filed many.
 +
 +===== Week of 14 April 2026 — 18 April 2026 =====
 +
 +==== Delhi HC: Aadhaar-linked subsidy records ARE disclosable in aggregate (April 16, 2026) ====
 +//Delhi HC W.P.(C) 0489/2026//
 +
 +Aadhaar-linked subsidy distribution data, when sought in aggregate (e.g. "list of beneficiaries by district") is NOT exempt under §8(1)(j). Individual-name disclosure still needs §11 third-party balance.
 +
 +**PIO takeaway:** for aggregate beneficiary RTIs (especially under §4(1)(b)(xii)), disclosure is the default. Anonymise individual rows only if specifically requested.
 +
 +==== CIC: §7(1) clock starts on PIO receipt, not departmental dispatch (April 15, 2026) ====
 +//CIC Order/A-2026/00065//
 +
 +CIC clarified the §7(1) clock begins when the PIO physically receives the application — NOT when it's first received at the department's central registry.
 +
 +**PIO takeaway:** if your central registry is slow to forward, that's an internal SOP problem, not a §7(1) extension. Build a 2-day internal-routing cushion.
 +
 +==== Madras HC: Educational records of public officials disclosable (April 17, 2026) ====
 +//Madras HC W.A. 0212/2026//
 +
 +Following the Karnataka HC precedent, Madras HC has held that educational qualifications submitted at appointment are public-activity records and disclosable under RTI.
 +
 +**PIO takeaway:** don't refuse RTIs about a public servant's education credentials under §8(1)(j) without a specific third-party objection.
 +
 +===== Week of 07 April 2026 — 11 April 2026 =====
 +
 +==== SC: Public authorities cannot self-classify records as "secret" (April 09, 2026) ====
 +//Supreme Court order — Civil Appeal 04183/2026//
 +
 +Self-classification by an authority (marking files "Confidential" or "Secret") does NOT trigger §8(1)(a) sovereignty exemption automatically. The exemption requires a genuine sovereignty/security nexus.
 +
 +**PIO takeaway:** "Confidential" stamps don't override RTI. Apply the §8(1)(a) test on substance, not labels.
 +
 +==== CIC: Penalty against FAA for skipping reasoned order (April 10, 2026) ====
 +//CIC Order/A-2026/00056//
 +
 +A first instance of CIC imposing a §20 penalty on the **FAA** (not just the PIO) for issuing a non-speaking order. Earlier penalties were exclusively on PIOs.
 +
 +**FAA takeaway:** don't rubber-stamp PIO orders. A non-speaking First Appeal order can attract personal penalty.
 +
 +===== Subscribe + archive =====
 +
 +  * **Push notifications** — enable via the 🔔 bell at top-right. Get a ping every Monday morning when this page updates.
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 +  * **Past quarters** — see [[:cpd:quarterly-update|Q1 2026 quarterly update]] for a deeper dive across all modules.
 +
 +===== Related =====
 +
 +  * [[:cpd:start|PIO/FAA CPD Course]]
 +  * [[:cpd:quarterly-update|Q1 2026 quarterly addendum]]
 +  * [[:cases:search|Case-law search]]
 +  * [[:courses:|All certified courses]]
 +
 +//Last updated: 25 April 2026.//
 +
 +{{tag>cic sic orders weekly digest 2026 case-law}}
  

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