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+{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(pio, section, life, and, safety, RTI Act, RTI Wiki)&metatag-description=(Section 8(1)(g) RTI Act: Endangerment of Life, Safety or Ide — Section 8(1)(g) of the RTI Act, 2005 exempts information whose disclosure would endanger…)}}
+====== Section 8(1)(g) RTI Act: Endangerment of Life, Safety or Identity — 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)(g) of the RTI Act, 2005 exempts information whose disclosure would endanger life or physical safety of any person or identify the source of information given in confidence for law-enforcement or security purposes. The exemption protects witnesses, informants, and persons whose identity — once disclosed — would attract retaliation.**
+{{ :social:auto:pio-section-8-1-g-life-and-safety.png?direct&1200 |Section 8(1)(g) 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)(g) =====
+  * **Covers** — endangerment of life or physical safety, OR identification of confidential source of law-enforcement / security information.
+  * **Mandatory** — once the PIO establishes the risk, the exemption is near-absolute.
+  * **Standard** — a real, not fanciful, risk.
+  * **Witnesses** — protected witnesses and informants squarely within.
+  * **Whistleblowers** — protection under the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014 maps to §8(1)(g).
+===== When Does §8(1)(g) Apply? =====
+^ Situation ^ Disclosable? ^ Reason ^
+| Name of an informant in an ongoing CBI case | **No** | Direct §8(1)(g). |
+| Anonymous RTI-aggregator's name where threats exist | **No** | Personal-safety risk. |
+| Historical intelligence source 40 years old | **Case-by-case** | Test whether the source or descendants still face risk. |
+| Witness in a protected-witness trial | **No** | §8(1)(g) + statutory witness-protection rules. |
+| Complainant in a whistleblower complaint | **No** | §8(1)(g) read with Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014. |
+| PIO's own name (public servant) | **Yes** | Public-servant official identity is disclosable. |
+===== Statutory text — Section 8(1)(g) =====
+>//Section 8(1) — Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, there shall be no obligation to give any citizen, —
+>
+>(g) information, the disclosure of which would endanger the life or physical safety of any person or identify the source of information or assistance given in confidence for law enforcement or security purposes;//
+===== Landmark case law =====
+  * **//Bhagat Singh v. CIC//** (Delhi HC 2007) — Exemption must be established by PIO — cannot be presumed.
+  * **//Director, IB v. Sanjiv Chaturvedi//** (SC 2019) — §24 / §8(1)(g) interplay for intelligence-source protection.
+  * **//Whistleblowers Protection Authority Matters//** (CIC 2016) — §8(1)(g) absolute protection for identified whistleblowers.
+Browse the **[[:cases|full case-law database — 310+ rulings]]** for more.
+===== PIO decision framework — §8(1)(g) =====
+  - **Locate the record** and determine whether §8(1)(g) 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)(g) finding.
+  * **Out-of-date assertion** — the harm trigger may have ceased; PIO must assess //currently//.
+===== FAQs — People Also Ask =====
+**Q1. How is risk assessed?**
+The PIO must record specific reasons showing why disclosure would endanger life, safety or source identity. Mere assertion is not enough.
+**Q2. Does §8(2) override §8(1)(g)?**
+In principle yes, but courts have treated safety-risk disclosures with extreme reluctance.
+**Q3. Can a public servant's identity be denied under §8(1)(g)?**
+Generally no — public servants in normal roles are identifiable. Exception: covert operations personnel.
+**Q4. Whistleblower identity?**
+Absolutely protected — statutory plus §8(1)(g).
+**Q5. What if risk has subsided over time?**
+PIO should re-assess. Aged records may lose the risk trigger; descendants may still be affected.
+===== 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)(g), §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-g rti framework}}

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