Section 8 (1) (j) of RTI Act

Section 8 (1) (j) of RTI Act

Subject: Polity

Concept:

• Activists and Opposition MPs on Monday expressed concern over a proposed amendment to the Right to Information (RTI) Act,2005.
• The draft Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, which the government may introduce in the Budget Session, removes provisions from Section8(1)(j) that allow public interest disclosure.
• After the amendment, the RTI Act would say that any information that is personal will not be disclosed, leaving away the concept of disclosure based on the larger public interest.

Section 8(1) (j) of the RTI Act, 2005

• Section 8 (1) mentions exemptions against furnishing information under RTI Act.
• Section 8(1) (j) of the RTI Act, 2005 encapsulates that information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual, unless the CPIO or SPIO or the Appellate Authority is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information should be exempted from disclosure.
• Further, the information which cannot be denied to the Parliament or the State Legislature shall not be denied to any person.
• So, Section 8(1)(j) of the Act allows officials to refuse access to information if it intrudes on the privacy of an individual, but permits disclosure of information if there is an overriding public interest.