Section 4 of the RTI Act — what your government office must publish without you asking

Most citizens never realise that the law has already done two-thirds of their RTI work for them. Section 4 is the part of the Right to Information Act, 2005 that puts the burden of disclosure on the government itself, not on you. When a public authority follows it, you can answer most everyday questions — who is the officer, what are the rules, how much was the budget, who got the subsidy — without writing a single application.

The Act tells every public authority — every ministry, department, panchayat office, municipal body, school, police station and PSU — to maintain its records in a usable way and to publish 17 specific buckets of information on its own initiative. Those 17 buckets are listed in Section 4(1)(b). They cover the office's structure, its powers, its decision-making rules, the documents it holds, the directories of its staff, the salaries it pays, its annual budget, the subsidies and beneficiary lists, and the name and contact details of the Public Information Officer.

Section 4 also tells the office to keep this information current, to publish it in the local language, to make it available electronically wherever possible, and to give reasons for important administrative or quasi-judicial decisions in writing to the affected person. The point is simple: the more an office publishes on its own, the fewer RTIs the public has to file.

“It shall be a constant endeavour of every public authority to take steps in accordance with the requirements of clause (b) of sub-section (1) to provide as much information suo motu to the public at regular intervals through various means of communications, including internet, so that the public have minimum resort to the use of this Act to obtain information.” — Section 4(2), RTI Act, 2005 ¹⁾

1. Before filing an RTI, check the department's website first. If the information you need falls inside the 17 categories, it should already be published. Demanding it again under Section 6 is allowed, but slower.
2. Section 4 is your evidence of non-compliance. If the 17 categories are missing, you can file a complaint without first filing an RTI (see Section 18).
3. Beneficiary lists, subsidy details and salaries are all in 4(1)(b). Sub-clauses (xii) and (xiii) cover scheme beneficiaries and budgets — useful when you suspect leakages in MGNREGA, ration cards or scholarships.
4. Section 4(1)(d) gives you the right to a reasoned written order whenever an administrative or quasi-judicial decision affects you — even if you never filed an RTI.
5. Translation in the local language is mandatory. A department cannot dump everything in English in a Hindi or Tamil-speaking district and call it compliant.

• Your panchayat refuses to share the MGNREGA muster rolls. The muster rolls are in the beneficiary list under 4(1)(b)(xii) and should already be on the panchayat board. Photograph the empty board and file a Section 18 complaint to the State Information Commission.
• A school refuses to share its admission criteria. The criteria are inside 4(1)(b)(iv) (norms used in decision-making). Cite Section 4 in your application; the office cannot then claim the document does not exist.

Two routes — pick the faster one.

1. File an RTI under Section 6 asking for the 17 categories with last-updated dates and URLs. If the office refuses, escalate via Section 19 appeal. See the deemed-refusal first appeal template.
2. File a Section 18 complaint directly to the Information Commission citing non-compliance with Section 4. No RTI prerequisite. Use the Section 18 complaint form.

If the office gave a non-speaking refusal, also see our wrongful Section 8 rejection appeal.

• Back to the Act index
• Section 6 — How to file a request
• Section 18 — Complaints to the Information Commission
• Section 19 — Appeals
• Suo motu disclosure — the 17 categories in detail
• AI RTI Drafter — generate a Section 4 audit request
• PIO Reply Checker — test the reply you received

No. Section 4 is supposed to be published on the office's website and notice board. You can read it directly. You only file an RTI if the office has not published it — and even then, Section 18 is faster than Section 6.

Sub-clauses (ix) directory of officers, (x) monthly salaries, (xi) budget, (xii) subsidy execution, and (xiii) beneficiaries. These five answer most leakage, corruption and entitlement questions.

Section 4(2) tells the office to endeavour to publish online, but the 17 categories under 4(1)(b) are mandatory regardless of medium. A printed register on the notice board is acceptable; pure secrecy is not.

Last reviewed on: 15 May 2026 — RTI Wiki editorial team.