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+{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(section 24 rti,rti exempt organisations,cbi exempt rti,ib exempt rti,raw exempt rti,rti second schedule,rti section 24 proviso,corruption proviso rti,human rights rti,rti intelligence agency)
+metatag-description=(Section 24 RTI Act — exempt intelligence and security organisations (CBI, IB, R&AW, NTRO). Scope, corruption proviso, case law, disclosure table, FAQs.)
+metatag-title=(Section 24 RTI Act: Exempt Organisations CBI IB R&AW Guide)}}
+====== Section 24 RTI Act: Exempt Intelligence and Security Organisations (CBI, IB, R&AW, NTRO) — 2026 Guide ======
+<WRAP center round tip 95%>
+**Need help drafting this RTI?** Use our free **[[:tools:rti-assistant|RTI Assistant]]** — describe your problem, get a ready-to-file Section 6(1) application with your name and address pre-filled. Also handles First Appeal and Second Appeal to the CIC/SIC.
+</WRAP>
+**Section 24 of the RTI Act, 2005 exempts intelligence and security organisations listed in the Second Schedule from the Act's coverage. The current list includes CBI, IB, R&AW, DGQA, NTRO, BSF, CRPF, and several others. However, Section 24(1) proviso preserves RTI for allegations of corruption or human-rights violations against any exempted body.**
+{{ :social:auto:pio-section-24-exempt-organisations.png?direct&1200 |Section 24 RTI Act: Exempt Intelligence and Security Organisations (CBI, IB, R&AW, NTRO) — 2026 Guide — RTI Wiki}}
+{{page>_snippets:dpdp-banner|Page> snippets dpdp banner}}
+Part of the **[[:pio-faa-knowledge-base|PIO / FAA Knowledge Base]]**.
+===== Quick Answer =====
+  * **List** — intelligence and security organisations in the Second Schedule: IB, R&AW, CBI, NTRO, DGQA, DCSI, DGHS, BSF, CRPF, CISF, SSB, ITBP, NCB, NSG, ACAF, EID, DRI, and more.
+  * **Scope of exemption** — the RTI Act does not apply to records of these organisations.
+  * **Proviso** — allegations of corruption or human-rights violations against a listed body are covered by RTI (with Commission approval for human-rights cases).
+  * **Not absolute** — the listed-body exemption is subject to routine administrative disclosure (budget, structure) via §4(1)(b) if the body chooses.
+  * **Key test** — //Director, IB v. Sanjiv Chaturvedi// (SC 2019) — §24 exempts the body, not all information about it.
+===== Decision / Disclosure Table =====
+^ Situation ^ Outcome ^ Reason ^
+| CBI case-diary in a live investigation | Not disclosable | §24 covers CBI |
+| CBI corruption allegation against an officer | Disclosable under proviso | Corruption proviso |
+| IB operational intelligence | Not disclosable | Core §24 + §8(1)(a) |
+| R&AW allegation of torture (human rights) | Disclosable with Commission approval | Human-rights proviso |
+| CBI aggregate statistics (cases closed, convictions) | Not per §24 strict view; often released administratively | Case-by-case |
+| DRI (Narcotics) seizure statistics | Not per §24; aggregate data often §4(1)(b) | §24 formally applies |
+| CBI service record of an officer (non-corruption) | Within §24 | No proviso trigger |
+| Vigilance inquiry against a CBI officer | Disclosable if corruption | Proviso applies |
+===== Statutory text =====
+>//Section 24(1): Nothing contained in this Act shall apply to the intelligence and security organisations specified in the Second Schedule, being organisations established by the Central Government or any information furnished by such organisations to that Government: Provided that the information pertaining to the allegations of corruption and human rights violations shall not be excluded under this sub-section: Provided further that in the case of information sought for is in respect of allegations of violation of human rights, the information shall only be provided after the approval of the Central Information Commission, and notwithstanding anything contained in section 7, such information shall be provided within forty-five days from the date of the receipt of request.//
+===== Landmark case law =====
+  * **//Director, IB v. Sanjiv Chaturvedi//** (SC 2019) — The §24 exemption covers the body itself; corruption proviso is a real and significant carve-out.
+  * **//CBI v. CPIO CBI//** (Delhi HC 2011) — CBI is §24-exempt; even within exemption, FIRs remain public once registered.
+  * **//Enforcement Directorate v. CIC//** (SC 2024) — ED is §24-exempt but aggregate data / corruption-allegation data disclosable.
+  * **//CIC on IB service record requests//** (CIC 2015) — Routine service records within §24; corruption allegations disclosable under proviso.
+Browse the **[[:cases|full case-law database — 362 curated rulings]]** for more.
+===== Common mistakes =====
+  * **Blanket invocation** without a specific statutory anchor and reasoning.
+  * **Skipping public-interest balancing** under §8(2) where an override is plausible.
+  * **Generic "sensitive" labels** instead of the precise clause.
+  * **Missing 30-day clock tracking** — §7(1) drives downstream appeals.
+  * **No severance attempt** under §10 where parts of the record are disclosable.
+===== FAQs — People Also Ask =====
+**Q1. Is the Second Schedule fixed?**
+No. Section 24(2) permits the Central Government to notify amendments to the Schedule. Several additions have been made since 2005.
+**Q2. How does the corruption proviso work?**
+An RTI applicant can seek information about alleged corruption in a §24 body; the body must respond. Burden of bona fide is low; Commission tests for genuine corruption context.
+**Q3. And human rights?**
+Human-rights allegation requests go through Commission approval and must be answered within 45 days.
+**Q4. Are State-level intelligence bodies covered?**
+§24 covers Central bodies. State police intelligence / vigilance are not automatically under §24 but may enjoy §8(1)(h) or State-law protection.
+**Q5. Does §24 cover all CBI records?**
+Formally yes, subject to the corruption / human-rights provisos. FIRs are public; operational case files are within §24.
+===== What Should You Do Next? =====
+  * **Sibling framework pages:** [[:rti-first-appeal-guide|§19(1) First Appeal Guide]] · [[:rti-second-appeal-cic-sic|§19(3) Second Appeal]] · [[:pio-section-20-penalty|§20 Penalty]] · [[:pio-section-22-overriding-effect|§22 Override]] · [[:pio-section-24-exempt-organisations|§24 Exempt Bodies]]
+  * **Procedure side:** [[:pio-rti-reply-guide|PIO Reply Guide]] · [[:faa-speaking-order-guide|FAA Speaking-Order Guide]]
+  * **§8 exemption deep-dives:** [[:pio-section-8-1-j-framework|§8(1)(j)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-e-fiduciary|§8(1)(e)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-h-investigation|§8(1)(h)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-i-cabinet-papers|§8(1)(i)]]
+  * **Full Act text:** [[:act|RTI Act with DPDP 2025 overlay]]
+  * **Landmark rulings:** [[:cases|362 curated RTI cases]]
+===== Related reading =====
+  * [[:pio-faa-knowledge-base|PIO / FAA Knowledge Base (hub)]]
+  * [[:explanations:grounds-for-rejection|All 10 grounds for RTI rejection]]
+  * [[:faa-appellate-review-checklist|Appellate review checklist]]
+  * [[:glossary|RTI Glossary — 40 essential terms]]
+===== Sources =====
+  * Right to Information Act, 2005.
+  * Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, §44(3) — notified 14 November 2025.
+  * Supreme Court and High Court judgments cited above.
+  * Central Information Commission and State Information Commission decisions, as indexed in our [[:cases|case-law database]].
+----
+//Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.//
+{{tag>pio-section-24-exempt-organisations rti framework}}

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