Section 1 — Short Title, Extent and Commencement

• 1(1) — Act may be called the Right to Information Act, 2005.
• 1(2) — Extends to the whole of India (originally excluded Jammu and Kashmir; that exception ceased on 31 October 2019 with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act).
• 1(3) — Provisions of sub-sections (1), (2) and (3) of section 4, sub-sections (1) and (2) of section 5, sections 12, 13, 15, 16, 24, 27 and 28 shall come into force at once (i.e., 15 June 2005). The remaining provisions shall come into force on the one hundred and twentieth day of enactment (i.e., 12 October 2005).

Commenced 12 October 2005. Extent updated on 31 October 2019 when J&K reorganisation brought the Union Territory within the Central RTI regime. No other amendments to Section 1.

• S.P. Gupta v. President of India, AIR 1982 SC 149 — Article 19(1)(a) foundation.
• PUCL v. UoI, (2003) 4 SCC 399 — Right to know predated the Act.

Referenced in every constitutional challenge to the Act to fix its scope. For J&K residents, Section 1 is the anchor for their post-2019 right to file Central RTIs.

For drafting RTIs or appeals engaging this section, use the First RTI template or the First Appeal template. See How to fill an RTI application for structural help.

• Back to the full RTI Act
• Section 6 — Request for information
• Section 7 — Disposal
• Section 8 — Exemptions
• Section 19 — Appeals
• All explanations
• Landmark RTI decisions

1. Right to Information Act, 2005, Section 1.
2. RTI (Amendment) Act, 2019 (where applicable).
3. DPDP Rules, 2025, notified 14 November 2025 (where applicable).
4. Department of Personnel and Training, Guide on the RTI Act, 2005.

Last reviewed on: 21 April 2026