Why did I receive multiple registration numbers for one RTI application?

You file one RTI, pay ₹10, and the next day find two or three different registration numbers in your inbox. No duplicate payment, no error — the portal has done exactly what it is supposed to. Your request touched information held by more than one public authority.

“This is the case where your RTI application has been forwarded to multiple CPIOs since the information sought lies with more than one PIO.” — rtionline.gov.in FAQ Q17

RTI Act 2005, §6(3) gives a CPIO the right — and obligation — to transfer your application to any other CPIO whose office holds the information you seek. When the Nodal Officer or CPIO determines that two or more departments have relevant information, they split the request and forward it electronically. Each receiving CPIO gets the full request and generates their own registration number.

Examples: An RTI about road construction that touches both PWD and the local municipal corporation. An RTI about your pension that involves both the Ministry of Finance and your parent ministry. An RTI about a PMAY housing allocation involving both the Ministry of Housing and the district collector's office.

Each number is an independent RTI case. Each CPIO has 30 days to reply from when they received it. You may receive replies on different dates, with different levels of completeness. If one CPIO replies but another does not, you file first appeals separately against each.

1. Track each number separately on rtionline.gov.in under “View Status.”
2. Evaluate each reply independently: a good reply from CPIO-A does not excuse CPIO-B's silence.
3. File first appeals separately if any CPIO does not reply within 30 days or replies unsatisfactorily.
4. No additional ₹10 fee is charged for the forwarded copies — you paid once.
5. Keep organised records: label your physical copies with the registration number and the CPIO/authority name.

No. The original ₹10 fee covers all forwarded copies. You are not billed per registration number generated by the system.

No. The forwarding is a decision of the receiving CPIO or Nodal Officer. If your RTI is specific enough to one office, it is less likely to be split.

“Transferred” typically means the Nodal Officer sent it to a completely different authority (possibly outside your originally selected one). “Forwarded” usually means a copy was sent to an additional CPIO. Track both and respond to each separately.

Appeal only the CPIO whose reply was unsatisfactory or absent. You are not obliged to appeal a fully satisfactory response.

• PIO Reply Checker — assess if each reply is adequate
• First Appeal Builder — draft appeals for any unsatisfactory CPIO
• All RTI Online Portal FAQs