▪️RTI vs Right to Privacy:

✅Conceptually, RTI and Right to Privacy are both complimentary as well as in conflict with each other.

✅While RTI increases access to information, the right to privacy protects it instead.

✅ At the same time they both function, as citizen rights safeguarding liberty against the state’s overreach.

✅ In the Justice Puttaswamy vs Union of India case, Supreme Court ruled that the right to privacy is Fundamental Right under articles 14, 19 and 21.

✅Thus while disclosing information under the RTI act government need to ensure that such information does not harm the liberty and dignity of the individuals.

✅Such right to privacy is already ensured in many acts such as the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act 2016, the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019, DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill 2019 etc.

✅When the question of harmonising the contradictory rights arises, it should give justice to the larger public interest and advancement of public morality.