File Notings Under RTI
Section 2(f), RTI Act 2005
File notings — the remarks and opinions officials record on a government file as a decision moves through it — are accessible under RTI. The Central Information Commission has held they fall within "information" under Section 2(f).
File notings are the comments, opinions and remarks that officers write on a government file as it passes from desk to desk during decision-making. They reveal how and why a decision was actually taken, which is exactly what many RTI applicants want.
For years there was confusion about whether they were disclosable. The Central Information Commission has settled it: file notings are part of a record and fall within the definition of information under Section 2(f), so they are accessible under RTI — subject only to the normal Section 8 exemptions. If a PIO claims notings are categorically exempt, that is incorrect.
Key points
- File notings = the remarks officials write on a file during decision-making.
- They are "information" under Section 2(f) and accessible under RTI.
- Only the normal Section 8 exemptions can withhold specific notings.
- Ask for "all file notings on file no. X" to see how a decision was made.
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This is a plain-English summary of the Right to Information Act, 2005 for general understanding — educational, not legal advice. For a specific case, the exact wording of the Act and your facts matter.
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