Right to Information Act, 2005

In one line: The RTI Act gives citizens a right to information held by public authorities, subject to exemptions listed in Section 8.

Section 8(1)(j) before 2023

It exempted personal information that had no relation to public activity or interest, or would cause unwarranted invasion of privacy, unless the information officer was satisfied that the larger public interest justified disclosure. A proviso said information that cannot be denied to Parliament or a State Legislature cannot be denied to any person.

What changed

Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act replaced this with an exemption for 'information which relates to personal information', without the public-interest balancing. Transparency activists call it a blanket bar; petitions against it were referred to a larger bench in February 2026, and the news publishers have now added their challenge.

Where to go next

• Puttaswamy and the right to privacy
• Data Protection Board of India