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CS Executive · Jurisprudence, Interpretation and General Laws · Right to Information Law

In 2026, a citizen requests records of a Cabinet decision taken in 2003 and the Council of Ministers' deliberations leading to it, and also files of a departmental inquiry into a 2004 procurement event that touched no Section 8(1)(a), (c) or (i) interest. Which statement is correct about the twenty-year rule in Section 8(3)?

Cabinet papers and deliberations stay exempt even after twenty years, because Section 8(3) is subject to clauses (a), (c) and (i). Other information about events more than twenty years old must be provided if none of those three exemptions applies.

  1. AAll the information must be provided because twenty years have passed
  2. BThe Cabinet deliberation records remain subject to the exemption, but the 2004 procurement information must be provided if no clause (a), (c) or (i) exemption appliesCorrect
  3. CNone of the information may be provided because the twenty-year rule applies only to personal information
  4. DBoth sets must be provided only if the Central Government certifies the dates

Explanation

Section 8(3) makes the twenty-year rule subject to clauses (a), (c) and (i) of Section 8(1). Cabinet papers fall under clause (i), so that exemption survives the lapse of time. Other information about events twenty years old must be provided. Option D confuses the Central Government's role, which is to decide only a dispute about when the twenty years are computed from.

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