The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Centre on a PIL challenging provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 that allegedly dilute transparency under the 2005 Right to Information Act.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi sought responses from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and the Ministry of Law and Justice after taking note of the submissions of senior advocate Shayam Divan appearing for the PIL petitioners.
The PIL was filed by 'Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan' along with activists Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey and Shankar Singh Rawat.
The petition challenges Section 44 of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, which substitutes Section 8 of the RTI Act.
The petitioners have urged the court to restore the original Section 8 of the RTI Act, along with its proviso, with retrospective effect from November 13, 2025.
The plea also calls for directions restraining authorities from 'dismantling, restricting, or abridging access to information currently provided through transparency and 41 accountability portals …including the Jan Soochna Portal and all analogous portals established pursuant to obligations under the RTI Act or any other welfare legislation.'
