A government department refuses to disclose a document, claiming it affects the SOVEREIGNTY and INTEGRITY of India. A citizen challenges the refusal before the Information Commission. Under the Right to Information Act, 2005:

Section 8(1)(a) of the RTI Act exempts information the disclosure of which would P RIOION/ adversely affect the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, or public order. The exemption is not automatic - the authority must establish that the disclosure would AFFECT the protected interest, and the harm-based test applies; the court/Commission examines whether the material genuinely falls within the class and the public interest in non-disclosure outweighs that in disclosure. A bald, ipse dixit assertion of sovereignty is insufficient. The exemption thus operates as a reasoned, evidence-based shield, not a blanket veto.