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+{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(pio, section, parliament, RTI Act, RTI Wiki)&metatag-description=(Section 8(1)(c) RTI Act: Breach of Parliamentary Privilege — — Section 8(1)(c) of the RTI Act, 2005 exempts information whose disclosure would cause a…)}}
+====== Section 8(1)(c) RTI Act: Breach of Parliamentary Privilege — Rules and Guide (2026) ======
+<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 8(1)(c) of the RTI Act, 2005 exempts information whose disclosure would cause a breach of privilege of Parliament or a State Legislature. The exemption protects parliamentary deliberation, committee working papers under examination, and un-laid answers. It does not protect everything sent to Parliament.**
+{{ :social:auto:pio-section-8-1-c-parliament.png?direct&1200 |Section 8(1)(c) framework — RTI Wiki}}
+{{page>_snippets:dpdp-banner|Page> snippets dpdp banner}}
+Part of the **[[:pio-faa-knowledge-base|PIO / FAA Knowledge Base]]**.
+===== Quick Answer: Section 8(1)(c) =====
+  * **Covers** — records whose disclosure would breach privilege of Parliament or a State Legislature.
+  * **Typical** — draft committee reports under examination, privilege-matter notings, un-laid question-answers.
+  * **Not covered** — papers //already laid// on the Table; they are public.
+  * **Narrow** — general "sensitive" labelling by a department does not convert a record into §8(1)(c).
+  * **Override** — §8(2) public-interest may disclose post-laying; usually privilege ceases once the matter is concluded.
+===== When Does §8(1)(c) Apply? =====
+^ Situation ^ Disclosable? ^ Reason ^
+| Committee working paper under active examination | **No** | Privilege attaches during deliberation. |
+| Committee report already laid on the Table | **Yes** | Public once laid — Rule of procedure. |
+| Question answered in Parliament | **Yes** | The reply is public once laid; file-noting behind the reply may still be §8(1)(i). |
+| Un-laid starred question file | **No** | Privilege until laying. |
+| Expenditure of a parliamentary committee | **Yes** | §4(1)(b) public-finance; not privilege. |
+| Internal notings on an Assembly privilege motion under hearing | **No** | Direct privilege attachment. |
+===== Statutory text — Section 8(1)(c) =====
+>//Section 8(1) — Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, there shall be no obligation to give any citizen, —
+>
+>(c) information, the disclosure of which would cause a breach of privilege of Parliament or the State Legislature;//
+===== Landmark case law =====
+  * **//Raj Narain v. State of UP//** (SC 1975 (cited)) — Parliamentary privilege distinguished from executive confidentiality.
+  * **//CIC v. Secretariat of Parliament//** (CIC 2012) — Laid papers are public; un-laid committee working papers are §8(1)(c).
+  * **//Karnataka Legislative Assembly v. KIC//** (Karnataka HC 2016) — Assembly Secretariat is §2(h); but §8(1)(c) applies to privilege-phase records.
+Browse the **[[:cases|full case-law database — 310+ rulings]]** for more.
+===== PIO decision framework — §8(1)(c) =====
+  - **Locate the record** and determine whether §8(1)(c) even plausibly applies.
+  - **Record specific reasons** in writing linking the record to the statutory harm head.
+  - **Check §8(2) public-interest override** and record the balancing.
+  - **Sever under §10** where non-exempt portions can be released.
+  - **Issue §11 notice** if a third party's information is involved.
+  - **State the appeal route** — 30-day First Appeal under §19(1) to the FAA.
+===== Common mistakes =====
+  * **Blanket invocation** without reasoned harm analysis — fails First Appeal review.
+  * **Skipping §8(2)** — public interest must be examined even on denial.
+  * **Ignoring §10 severability** — PIO must sever and release the non-exempt part.
+  * **Generic labels** ("sensitive", "confidential") — not a substitute for a specific §8(1)(c) finding.
+  * **Out-of-date assertion** — the harm trigger may have ceased; PIO must assess //currently//.
+===== FAQs — People Also Ask =====
+**Q1. Is everything sent to Parliament §8(1)(c)?**
+No. Only records whose disclosure would breach privilege. Laid papers are public.
+**Q2. What about State Legislature records?**
+Same treatment applies to State Assemblies under §8(1)(c).
+**Q3. Does the exemption end when the session ends?**
+It ends when the privilege attachment ends — typically on laying or conclusion of the proceeding.
+**Q4. Can the PIO refuse an RTI on the basis of a "possible" privilege motion?**
+No. Speculative privilege claims are not §8(1)(c); there must be an actual privilege-phase record.
+**Q5. Does §8(2) public interest apply?**
+Yes but is rarely operative since privilege typically lapses on its own through laying, and subsequent §8(1)(i) may still apply.
+===== What Should You Do Next? =====
+  * **Sibling exemption frameworks:** [[:pio-section-8-1-a-sovereignty|§8(1)(a)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-b-contempt-of-court|§8(1)(b)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-c-parliament|§8(1)(c)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-d-commercial-confidence|§8(1)(d)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-e-fiduciary|§8(1)(e)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-f-foreign-relations|§8(1)(f)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-g-life-and-safety|§8(1)(g)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-h-investigation|§8(1)(h)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-i-cabinet-papers|§8(1)(i)]] · [[:pio-section-8-1-j-framework|§8(1)(j)]]
+  * **Procedure:** [[:pio-section-11-third-party|§11 — Third Party procedure]] · [[:pio-rti-reply-guide|PIO reply templates]].
+  * **Appeal review:** [[:faa-speaking-order-guide|FAA speaking-order guide]].
+  * **Full Act text:** [[:act:section-8|Section 8 of the RTI Act]] · [[:act|Full Act with DPDP 2025 overlay]].
+  * **Landmark rulings:** [[:cases|310+ 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 — §8(1)(c), §8(2), §10, §11.
+  * Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 — §44(3), notified effective 14 November 2025.
+  * Supreme Court and High Court judgments cited above.
+  * CIC and State Information Commission decisions as indexed in our [[:cases|case-law database]].
+----
+//Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.//
+{{tag>pio-faa section-8 section-8-1-c rti framework}}

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