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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) ======
+{{page>snippets:dpdp-banner}}
+<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 =====
+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]]
+{REVIEWED}
+{{{{tag>rti-2026 amendments pillar updates}}}}
+{{tag>rti recent changes pillar pillar 2026}}