The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Union government to file its reply to a series of petitions challenging amendments made to the Right to Information Act through the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana issued the direction following initial submissions in the matter.
Challenge To Section 8(1)(j)
The petitions specifically contest changes made to Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, which governs exemptions related to the disclosure of personal information. According to the pleas, the recent statutory alterations weaken transparency mechanisms by removing the public interest safeguard that previously applied to requests involving personal data.
Senior advocate Vrinda Grover and advocate Prashant Bhushan appeared before the court to present arguments for the petitioners. After hearing their submissions, the bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the central government, to submit the Centre’s response to the court.
