UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — The gaps in the implementation of the RTI Act

Q1. With reference to proactive (suo motu) disclosure under Section 4(1)(b) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. A public authority's duty to publish information under Section 4(1)(b) arises from the Act itself and does not depend on any citizen first making a request.
2. Disclosures under Section 4(1)(b) are confined to a public authority's organisational details and do not extend to financial matters such as budgets or subsidy programmes.
3. The duty of suo motu disclosure binds Ministries and Departments of the Union Government but not statutory bodies such as the Central Information Commission.

• A. 2 and 3 only
• B. 1, 2 and 3
• C. 1 only
• D. 1 and 2 only

Q2. With reference to the exemptions listed in Section 8(1) and the provision in Section 8(2) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Section 8(2) can be invoked for personal information covered by Section 8(1)(j), but not for the other exempt categories listed in Section 8(1).
2. Access to information under Section 8(2) may be allowed even where the Official Secrets Act, 1923 would otherwise bar its disclosure.
3. A public authority must obtain the prior approval of the Information Commission before allowing access to information under Section 8(2).

• A. 1 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 2 only

Q3. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

1. Parliament can change the term of office of Information Commissioners through an ordinary amending law, without following the procedure of Article 368 of the Constitution.
2. The Central Information Commission is a body constituted by the Central Government under the Right to Information Act, 2005, and not under any provision of the Constitution.

• A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
• B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
• C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
• D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q4. With reference to the powers of the Central Information Commission under the Right to Information Act, 2005, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. While inquiring into a complaint, the Commission has certain powers of a civil court, such as summoning persons and requiring the production of documents.
2. In a second appeal, the onus of proving that a denial of information was justified lies on the officer who denied it, not on the applicant.
3. Besides imposing a monetary penalty on a Public Information Officer, the Commission can recommend disciplinary action against that officer under the applicable service rules.
4. Decisions of the Commission in second appeals are recommendatory and bind the public authority only after the appropriate government accepts them.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1, 2 and 3 only
• C. 2, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q5. With reference to the effects of the Right to Information (Amendment) Act, 2019 on Information Commissioners, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The term of office of Information Commissioners is now prescribed by the Central Government instead of being fixed in the Act itself.
2. The salaries and service conditions of State Information Commissioners are now determined by the respective State Governments.
3. The salary of the Chief Information Commissioner is no longer tied by the Act to that of the Chief Election Commissioner.

• A. 1 and 3 only
• B. 1 only
• C. 1, 2 and 3
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q6. With reference to how proactive disclosure is organised for public authorities under the RTI framework, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Once information has been published under Section 4(1)(b), the public authority has no continuing duty to update it.
2. Executive guidelines can expect central public authorities to disclose proactively some categories beyond those listed in Section 4(1)(b), such as procurement details.
3. The name and designation of a public authority's Public Information Officer is among the items it publishes under Section 4(1)(b).

• A. 3 only
• B. 1 and 2 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. Consider the following facts: Section 4(1)(b) of the RTI Act requires every public authority to publish specified categories of information at regular intervals so that citizens need not file requests for basic details. A 2026 examination of departments listed as public authorities on the Government of India's online RTI portal found that this disclosure had not been followed. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above facts?

1. The shortfall lies in compliance with an existing legal mandate rather than in the absence of such a mandate.
2. Weak proactive disclosure is likely to push citizens towards filing individual RTI applications for basic information.
3. State Government departments necessarily perform worse on proactive disclosure than the central departments examined.

• A. 1, 2 and 3
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 only
• D. 1 and 2 only

Q8. A corporation wholly owned and controlled by a State Government rejects an RTI application, and the applicant's first appeal within the corporation also fails. Where does the applicant's second appeal lie under the RTI Act?

• A. The State Information Commission, since the body is a public authority of that State
• B. The Department of Personnel and Training, since it is the nodal department for RTI
• C. The State Chief Secretary, since the body is owned and controlled by that Government
• D. The Central Information Commission, since the RTI Act is a law made by Parliament