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rti-recent-changes-pillar [2026/07/22 17:44] (current) – created - external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(rti changes 2025 2026, rti act amendments 2025, dpdp rti, recent rti rulings, rti news 2026)
 +metatag-description=(Master pillar tracking RTI Act amendments, CIC vacancies, top SC rulings, fee debate, and the regulatory shifts citizens must know in 2026.)}}
 +
 +====== RTI in 2025-26 — what changed and what's next (2026) ======
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +{{ :social:auto:rti-recent-changes-pillar.png?direct&1200 |RTI in 2025-26 — what changed and what's next (2026) — RTI Wiki}}
 +
 +<WRAP center round info 95%>
 +**Quick Reply:** Master pillar tracking RTI Act amendments, CIC vacancies, top SC rulings, fee debate, and the regulatory shifts citizens must know in 2026.
 +</WRAP>
 +
 +<WRAP info>**The lead.** RTI law and its administration have shifted significantly in 2025-26. The DPDP Act rewrote §8(1)(j). Information Commissions are running at 50% strength. Fee revision was proposed and deferred. This pillar tracks every change with its citizen impact.</WRAP>
 +
 +===== The DPDP §44(3) shift =====
 +The Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, in §44(3), amended RTI §8(1)(j). The "unwarranted invasion" qualifier is gone. Public-interest carve-out remains but at a higher threshold. **What citizens must do**: frame requests for **published / gazetted** versions of personal information; pre-empt §8(1)(j) refusal in the application. Read [[:blog:dpdp-act-impact-on-rti-section-8-1-j|full guide]].
 +
 +===== CIC vacancies crisis =====
 +  * **Bihar SIC**: zero commissioners (paralysed since November 2025)
 +  * **UP SIC**: 45,000+ pending second appeals, 8/11 commissioners filled
 +  * **CIC**: 38,000 pending; 18-24 month wait
 +  * **Bright spots**: Kerala SIC (9/11 filled, 6,000 pending, 9-15 month disposal); Tamil Nadu (full strength)
 +
 +What citizens can do: rely on **First Appeal more aggressively**; file **Article 226 writs** for time-sensitive matters; cite [[:case-database-pillar|Anjali Bhardwaj v. UoI 2019]] which mandates 90-day vacancy filling.
 +
 +Full breakdown: [[:blog:state-information-commissions-vacancies-crisis|SIC vacancies 2026]].
 +
 +===== Fee revision deferred =====
 +DoPT proposed Rs 50 application fee in 2024 (OM 1/2/2024-IR). Deferred after parliamentary backlash. **As of April 2026, ₹10 still applies** centrally. State fees vary — see [[:state-rti-portals-directory|state directory]].
 +
 +Full debate: [[:blog:rti-fee-rationalisation-debate-2026|Fee rationalisation 2026]].
 +
 +===== Top SC rulings (last 12 months) =====
 +  * **CPIO SC v. SCA — re-affirmed** (collegium notes post-decisional, three-step test)
 +  * **§8(1)(j) DPDP overlap clarified** (public-interest threshold raised, not eliminated)
 +  * **CIC vacancies must be filled in 90 days** (PIL direction 2025)
 +  * **§24 strict construction** (human-rights proviso preserved)
 +  * **Personal costs against PIOs** upheld
 +
 +Full digest: [[:blog:supreme-court-rti-rulings-last-12-months|SC RTI 2025-26]].
 +
 +===== Why rejections rose 30% in 2025 =====
 +CIC Annual Report 2024-25 shows rejection rate 4.4% (vs 3.3% in FY23). Top grounds:
 +  * §8(1)(j) personal information — 38% (post-DPDP spike)
 +  * §8(1)(d) commercial confidence — 16%
 +  * §8(1)(h) investigation — 12%
 +
 +Read [[:blog:why-rti-rejections-rose-30-percent-2025|why and what to do]].
 +
 +===== Electoral Bonds aftermath =====
 +**ADR v. UoI (Feb 2024)** struck down Electoral Bonds. New RTI handles for election-funding transparency emerged. ECI publishes EB data; income-tax dept now subject to scrutiny. See [[:blog:rti-and-electoral-bonds-judgment-aftermath|aftermath guide]].
 +
 +===== 2026 RTI success stories =====
 +8 cases where citizen RTIs changed systems — MGNREGA wage arrears, PMAY ghost beneficiaries, school fee hikes, mining royalty recovery. [[:blog:rti-success-stories-citizens-changed-system-2025|Read all 8]].
 +
 +===== Related =====
 +  * [[:rti-act-2005-complete-guide|RTI Act complete guide]]
 +  * [[:case-database-pillar|Case database]]
 +  * [[:pio-faa-officers-handbook|PIO/FAA handbook]]
 +  * [[:blog:transparency-international-india-2026-report-takeaways|TI India CPI 2025]]
 +  * [[:blog:police-departments-largest-rti-rejecters-2025|Police = largest rejecters]]
 +
 +
 +{{{{tag>rti-2026 amendments pillar updates}}}}
 +
 +====== 2026 policy and compliance updates ======
 +
 +Recent how-to and policy articles that intersect with the 2025–26 RTI environment — tourism, homestay regulation, digital-RTI rules, schemes and sectoral compliance.
 +
 +* [[:before-booking-homestay-legal-checks-india|Before you book a homestay — legal checks for Indian travellers (2026)]]
 +  * [[:cbdd-india-tourism-2026|CBDD — Challenge Based Destination Development citizen guide]]
 +  * [[:digital-rti-2026|Digital RTI — the 2026 Guide — RTI Wiki Citizen Guide 2026]]
 +  * [[:eco-tourism-western-ghats-india-2026|Eco-tourism in the Western Ghats — citizen guide (2026)]]
 +  * [[:government-schemes-homestay-owners-india-2026|Government Schemes for Homestay Owners in India 2026]]
 +  * [[:homestay-india-2026|Homestay in India 2026 — Complete Legal, Business & Registration Guide]]
 +  * [[:homestay-rules-india-state-wise-2026|Homestay Rules India 2026 — State-wise Registration, Licences & Tax]]
 +  * [[:rti-track-swadesh-darshan-prashad-sasci|How citizens use RTI to track Swadesh Darshan, PRASHAD, SASCI projects]]
 +  * [[:start-profitable-homestay-india-2026|How to Start a Profitable Homestay in India (Rs 5–10 Lakh Setup Guide)]]
 +  * [[:indian-cities-renamed-2000-2026|Indian Cities Renamed Since 2000 - Chronological List with Sources]]
 +  * [[:pm-juga-tribal-homestays-india|PM-JUGA tribal homestays — SD 2.0 sub-scheme citizen guide]]
 +  * [[:police-rules-homestay-india-2026|Police rules for homestays India — guest ID, register, risks (2026)]]
 +  * [[:prashad-pilgrimage-india|PRASHAD scheme — Pilgrimage Rejuvenation citizen guide (2026)]]
 +  * [[:sasci-iconic-tourist-centres-india|SASCI Iconic Tourist Centres — citizen guide (2026)]]
 +  * [[:swadesh-darshan-1-0-circuits|Swadesh Darshan 1.0 — citizen guide to thematic-circuit projects]]
 +  * [[:swadesh-darshan-2-0-sustainable|Swadesh Darshan 2.0 — sustainable destinations citizen guide]]
 +  * [[:swadesh-darshan-india-2026|Swadesh Darshan 2026 — SD 1.0, SD 2.0, CBDD, PRASHAD, SASCI guide]]
 +  * [[:government-schemes-india-2026|Top Government Schemes in India (2026)]]
 +  * [[:udan-scheme-india-2026|UDAN scheme — citizen guide to RCS + Modified UDAN airfare caps (2026)]]
 +  * [[:unregistered-homestay-india-legal-risks|Unregistered homestays India — legal risks + citizen guide (2026)]]
 +  * [[:urban-congestion-india-2026|Urban congestion in India — citizen guide to NH bottlenecks (2026)]]
 +  * [[:why-homestay-needs-website|Why every homestay needs a website (not just Airbnb) — 2026 guide]]
 +
 +{{tag>rti recent changes pillar pillar 2026}}