RTI Case-Law Library
Landmark Right to Information judgments and decisions — what each case decided, the principle it set, and exactly when to cite it. Every case carries its primary source link.
CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay
Rules or bye-laws of an examining body cannot override the RTI Act where the information is otherwise accessible. A public authority must point to a s...
CJI / judiciary under RTICPIO, Supreme Court of India v. Subhash Chandra Agarwal
Public authorities cannot claim a blanket exemption — each denial must fit a specific exemption in the Act and survive a public-interest balancing tes...
Section 8 personal informationGirish Ramchandra Deshpande v. Central Information Commissioner
A public servant’s service and personal-financial records are presumptively exempt personal information; the applicant must demonstrate a larger publi...
Fiduciary relationshipReserve Bank of India v. Jayantilal N. Mistry
A regulator owes its duty to the public, not to the regulated; the “fiduciary relationship” and “economic interest” exemptions cannot be used to suppr...
Public authority definitionThalappalam Service Cooperative Bank Ltd. v. State of Kerala
“Public authority” under Section 2(h) is met only by establishment under law, or by government ownership, substantial control or substantial financing...
Exam / recruitment transparencyInstitute of Chartered Accountants of India v. Shaunak H. Satya
Examination-process confidences can be protected under Sections 8(1)(d) and (e), but exemptions are to be construed so as not to defeat the RTI Act, a...
Third-party informationBihar Public Service Commission v. Saiyed Hussain Abbas Rizwi
Information that could endanger a person’s safety — such as the identity of interviewers or examiners — is protected under Section 8(1)(g), and such t...
CIC / appeal principlesChief Information Commissioner v. State of Manipur
For denial of information, the correct remedy is the Section 19 appeal process, not a Section 18 complaint — the power to direct disclosure flows from...
File notings / recordsKhanapuram Gandaiah v. Administrative Officer
RTI is a right to access existing recorded information, not a right to compel a public authority to create answers, give reasons, or justify its decis...
Larger public interest overrideCanara Bank v. C.S. Shyam
Service particulars of employees are personal information; the larger-public-interest override under Section 8(1)(j) must be specifically pleaded and...
Right to know — foundationsState of Uttar Pradesh v. Raj Narain
The right to know about the working of government is a facet of the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression — the constitutional seed of...
Right to know — electionsUnion of India v. Association for Democratic Reforms
The right to know is a facet of Article 19(1)(a) and extends to the information citizens need to make informed democratic choices.
Information CommissionUnion of India v. Namit Sharma (Review)
Information Commissions are not courts and their members need not be judges; the RTI Act’s eligibility provisions stand, and reform of qualifications...
RTI vs special rulesChief Information Commissioner v. High Court of Gujarat
Section 22 gives the RTI Act overriding effect only where another law is inconsistent with it; a non-conflicting special procedure continues to apply.
Third-party procedure (Section 11)R.K. Jain v. Union of India
Third-party personal information is disclosed only after the Section 11 procedure — notice to the third party and a public-interest assessment — not a...
Public authority — substantially financedD.A.V. College Trust and Management Society v. Director of Public Instructions
“Substantially financed” under Section 2(h) is met where government funding is significant to a body’s functioning; such NGOs and aided institutions a...
Section 8(1)(h) — investigationBhagat Singh v. Chief Information Commissioner
To deny under Section 8(1)(h), the authority must demonstrate that disclosure would actually impede the investigation or prosecution — the mere penden...
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