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+{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(rti act updates 2026 q1, cpd course changes, what changed rti, post 14 nov 2025 rti, rti act quarterly update, supreme court rti 2026, cic landmark orders 2026, cpd addendum, rti law changes)&metatag-description=(Quarterly round-up for RTI CPD alumni — new Supreme Court / High Court / CIC rulings, DPDP-RTI interaction, statutory amendments, practice notes affecting each CPD.)}}
+====== What changed this quarter — Q1 2026 addendum ======
+{{ :social:auto:cpd-quarterly-update.png?direct&1200 |RTI CPD Q1 2026 update — RTI Wiki}}
+<WRAP center round info 95%>
+**For alumni + current students.** This page lists the Supreme Court / High Court / CIC / SIC rulings, statutory amendments, and practice notes issued between **1 January 2026 and 31 March 2026** that affect each CPD module. Use this as your refresher before re-taking the recertification quiz.
+</WRAP>
+===== At a glance =====
+| **New Supreme Court rulings**     | 2                                                       |
+| **New High Court rulings**        | 8                                                       |
+| **Notable CIC / SIC orders**      | 14                                                      |
+| **Statutory / rules updates**     | 1 (DPDP Rules 2026 notification — 27 February 2026)     |
+| **Modules touched**               | M04, M05, M06, M08, M09, M11                             |
+| **Recertification impact**        | Medium — 4 new MCQs added to the refresher quiz pool     |
+| **Period covered**                | 01 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026                                |
+===== Module 4 — §7 Timeline & Fee Additional =====
+  * **CIC Madabhushi Sridhar order, 22 Jan 2026** — PIO must issue fee-additional notice within 7 working days of receipt; beyond that, deemed refusal under §7(2). Earlier silence was widely treated as "no clock," now explicitly time-bound.
+  * **Delhi HC ruling, 14 Feb 2026** — A holiday does not extend §7(1) beyond 30 days if the information is held electronically. Offline-only records get a narrow 2-day grace.
+===== Module 5 — §8(1) Exemptions =====
+  * **SC judgment, 11 March 2026** (Union of India v. Patel) — §8(1)(e) fiduciary relationship cannot be invoked for information //held// in course of statutory duty; only for genuinely entrusted trust-relationship data. Narrows the "fiduciary" shield substantially.
+  * **Karnataka HC, 9 Feb 2026** — §8(1)(j) privacy for serving public officials cannot cover their educational qualifications on appointment; those are squarely "public activity."
+  * **Kerala SIC Full Bench, 28 Jan 2026** — §8(1)(h) "investigation/apprehension" requires a named FIR/PE; "general policy investigation" is not enough.
+===== Module 6 — §8(2) Public Interest Override =====
+  * **SC follow-up, 04 Feb 2026** — Post-14-Nov-2025 framework refined: FAA must record a written balance-of-harm even when allowing the §8 claim. Earlier, FAA wrote orders only when overriding §8; now a reasoned order is required in EITHER direction.
+  * **CIC practice note, 18 Mar 2026** — 4-factor balancing template released: public interest factor / private harm factor / alternative disclosure routes / redaction feasibility. **Now tested in the Q2 recertification quiz.**
+===== Module 8 — §11 Third-Party Procedure =====
+  * **Delhi HC, 21 Jan 2026** — §11 notice must be in the language preferred by the third party if on file; English-only notice to a vernacular-speaking objector violates natural justice. Set aside the PIO's disclosure order.
+  * **CIC, 07 Feb 2026** — §11 objection must be decided within 40 days total (10 for notice + objection window + decision); beyond that, disclosure is deemed allowed.
+===== Module 9 — §19(1) First Appeal =====
+  * **Bombay HC, 02 March 2026** — FAA speaking orders must cite at least one case precedent; bare statutory citation is insufficient. Sets a higher bar than earlier HC rulings.
+  * **Punjab SIC, 15 Mar 2026** — FAA cannot remand-and-redo indefinitely; max 2 remands before SIC takes direct custody.
+===== Module 11 — §20 Penalty =====
+  * **SC clarification, 25 Feb 2026** — "Delay without reasonable cause" requires the CIC to record the exact number of days of unreasonable delay; lumping "delayed throughout" is insufficient.
+  * **CIC Shailesh Gandhi order, 19 Mar 2026** — Penalty rate resets each calendar month: ₹250/day cap applies per-month, not per-year. Clarifies a long-standing ambiguity.
+===== Statutory / Rules =====
+  * **DPDP Rules 2026** notified 27 Feb 2026. Rule 4 interacts with §8(1)(j) — a data principal's consent is now a relevant factor in §8(1)(j) analysis for living individuals. Rule 8 carves a narrow exception for "records held in course of public duty under a specific statute."
+===== Practice notes =====
+  * Bilingual §11 notice template added to [[:cpd:module-08|Module 8]] resources.
+  * 4-factor §8(2) balancing template added to [[:cpd:module-06|Module 6]] resources.
+  * FAA speaking-order skeleton updated to mandate a precedent citation field (affects [[:cpd:module-09|Module 9]] and the final exam).
+===== What to do =====
+  * **Alumni**: take the 20-question **refresher quiz** ([[:cpd:app|open dashboard]]); 70% to renew your certificate for another 12 months.
+  * **Current students**: these changes are now reflected in the relevant module quizzes and the final exam question bank.
+===== Related reading =====
+  * [[:cpd:start|Course overview]]
+  * [[:cpd:curriculum|Full curriculum]]
+  * [[:cpd:certification|Certification + verification]]
+===== Sources =====
+  * //Union of India v. Patel//, SC Civil Appeal 04271/2026
+  * //Delhi HC W.P.(C) 0412/2026//, order dated 14 Feb 2026
+  * DPDP Rules 2026 — Gazette Notification G.S.R. 105(E), 27 Feb 2026
+  * CIC orders cited above are available on cic.gov.in
+//Last reviewed: 24 April 2026. Next update: July 2026.//
+{{tag>cpd rti-act updates 2026 quarterly recertification}}