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+{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(service records rti pio,apar rti,rti salary government officer,disciplinary proceedings rti,rti leave records,girish deshpande,personal service records rti)&metatag-description=(How PIOs handle RTIs on service records — pay, APAR, leave, disciplinary proceedings — after //Girish Deshpande//, with templates and subject-wise matrix.)}}
+====== Service Records RTIs — A PIO Playbook ======
+{{ :social:auto:pio-service-records-rti.png?direct&1200 |Service records RTI — RTI Wiki}}
+{{page>snippets:dpdp-banner}}
+<WRAP info>
+**Scope.** This playbook covers RTIs seeking service records of a named government officer or employee — pay drawn, APAR/ACR grading, leave records, disciplinary proceedings, transfers, promotions, vigilance clearance. Governed by Section 8(1)(j) as interpreted in //Girish Deshpande//.
+</WRAP>
+===== Legal framework =====
+  * **Section 8(1)(j)** — personal information exempt unless larger public interest.
+  * **Section 8(2)** — override.
+  * **Section 10** — severability.
+  * **Section 11** — third-party notice (officer is third party; always applicable).
+  * **DPDP Rules, 2025** — strengthened privacy baseline.
+===== Decision matrix — what's disclosable =====
+|= Data element |= Default |= Reasoning |
+| Name, designation, posting | Disclose | Section 4(1)(b)(ix) proactive |
+| Pay scale + allowance structure | Disclose | Public pay scales are notified |
+| Actual salary drawn (month-by-month) | Partial | Structure disclosable; bank/PAN redacted under §10 |
+| APAR / ACR grading | Exempt | //Deshpande// |
+| Medical leave details | Exempt | //Deshpande// + medical confidentiality |
+| Casual leave aggregate (per year) | Borderline | Balanced under §8(2) |
+| Disciplinary — final order | Disclose | Post-decisional |
+| Disciplinary — pre-decisional | Exempt | Pre-decisional + §8(1)(j) |
+| Vigilance clearance | Exempt | //Deshpande// |
+| Transfer / posting orders | Mostly disclose | Institutional records |
+| Promotion — DPC minutes | Exempt | Internal deliberation |
+| Promotion — final order | Disclose | Post-decisional |
+===== Decision framework =====
+  - **Step 1.** Is the RTI about the applicant's own service record? If yes, disclose (//Aditya Bandopadhyay// self-data principle).
+  - **Step 2.** If third-party, classify the request per the matrix above.
+  - **Step 3.** Issue Section 11 notice to the officer concerned — always applicable here.
+  - **Step 4.** Consider public-interest override under §8(2). Genuine cases: vigilance petitioner, documented impropriety, misuse-of-position claim, public-servant-conduct concern.
+  - **Step 5.** Apply §10 severability — redact PAN, Aadhaar, bank, phone, home address even in disclosable elements.
+  - **Step 6.** Draft speaking reply with //Deshpande// citation if declining.
+===== Template — service-record denial under §8(1)(j) =====
+<code>
+The RTI seeks [describe: APAR / medical leave / disciplinary file / etc.] of Shri/Smt X, [designation]. The officer is a third party; records have been treated as confidential by this Office.
+Section 11(1) notice was issued on DD-MM-YYYY; objections received / no objection received.
+Classification: The requested information relates to the personal service record of the officer. It is personal information under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, 2005. The Supreme Court in //Girish Ramchandra Deshpande v. CIC// (2013) 1 SCC 212 has held that APAR, service records, and disciplinary proceedings fall within §8(1)(j).
+Balancing under §8(2): The applicant [has / has not] pleaded specific public interest. [If pleaded: analysis.] No larger public interest is demonstrated that would warrant disclosure.
+Severability under §10: [No severable portion / Partial disclosure at Annexure A with PAN and bank details redacted].
+Decision: [Decline / Partial disclosure].
+</code>
+===== Subject-wise examples =====
+  * **RTI for officer's travel bills.** Disclosable — TA/DA is government spending. Redact PAN.
+  * **RTI for officer's spouse's job status.** Rarely disclosable — personal / family data unrelated to public function.
+  * **RTI for officer's Property Returns.** Section 8(1)(j) applies; CIC orders have held that officer's own disclosure obligations don't auto-translate to public access.
+  * **RTI for pattern of transfers.** Aggregate patterns disclosable; named-individual history case-by-case.
+  * **RTI for disciplinary inquiry report.** Pre-decisional — exempt. Final order — disclose.
+===== Case law =====
+  * //Girish Ramchandra Deshpande v. CIC// (2013) 1 SCC 212 — core SC anchor.
+  * //CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay// (2011) 8 SCC 497 — own data to self principle.
+  * //CPIO, SC v. Subhash Chandra Agarwal// (2020) 5 SCC 481 — proportionality for public offices.
+===== Common mistakes =====
+  * Disclosing APAR despite //Deshpande//.
+  * Skipping §11 notice because "officer is a colleague".
+  * Denying own-service-record RTIs (self-data is disclosable).
+  * Missing §10 redaction of PAN/bank/phone.
+  * Over-citing //Deshpande// to deny pay-scale structure (which is notified and public).
+===== Pro tips =====
+  * Build a one-page internal SOP for service-record RTIs; circulate to PIOs.
+  * Ensure HR module flags bank/PAN data for automatic redaction.
+  * Respond to vigilance-petitioner RTIs promptly; public-interest pleadings here are serious.
+===== FAQs =====
+**Q1. Can a family member file RTI for their relative's APAR?**\\ Same rule. Relationship does not create entitlement. Self-data yes; third-party data needs §8(2) balancing.
+**Q2. Is officer's promotion-order disclosable?**\\ Final promotion order — yes. DPC minutes — no.
+**Q3. Does retirement change anything?**\\ No. Exemption continues; but public interest may be easier to establish in pension-related matters.
+===== Conclusion =====
+Service-record RTIs are the single most-litigated category. //Deshpande//-driven denials must be reasoned, balanced, and severable. Blanket "personal information" refusals rarely survive appeal.
+===== Related reading =====
+  * [[:pio-section-8-1-j-framework|Section 8(1)(j) framework]]
+  * [[:pio-section-11-third-party|Section 11 third-party notice]]
+  * [[:faa-privacy-public-interest-balancing|Privacy vs public interest balancing]]
+  * [[:pio-faa-knowledge-base|PIO & FAA knowledge base]]
+===== Sources =====
+  * RTI Act, 2005, Sections 8(1)(j), 8(2), 10, 11
+  * //Girish Deshpande//, (2013) 1 SCC 212
+----
+//Last reviewed: 21 April 2026.//
+{{tag>pio service-records apar deshpande scenario}}

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