RTI fee in Karnataka — 2026 schedule

• Application fee: Rs 10 per application, under the Karnataka RTI fee schedule. One application, one subject, as many numbered points as you need on that subject.
• Below Poverty Line: Rs 0. Section 7(5) of the RTI Act makes this mandatory — a BPL applicant pays no application fee and no additional fee. Attach a self-attested copy of the BPL ration card.
• First appeal: Rs 0 in Karnataka. Two states charge appeal fees under their own rules — Maharashtra (Rs 20 per appeal since July 2026) and Bihar (Rs 10) — but Karnataka is not one of them.
• Second appeal to the Karnataka Information Commission: Rs 0.

The Rs 10 buys the answer itself. A PIO may ask for additional fee only when you ask for material that costs money to reproduce, and must tell you the amount in writing with the calculation:

• Photocopy — the schedule works out to a few rupees a page; ask for the per-page rate and page count in the same notice.
• CD or pen drive — a fixed media charge applies.
• Inspection of records — the first hour is free, a modest hourly rate applies after that.
• If the information can be sent by email, the PIO should prefer that route — it costs you nothing.

You get 30 days to pay the additional fee, and the PIO's reply clock pauses only while your payment is pending. Disagree with the arithmetic? Say so in writing and file the first appeal — several Karnataka Information Commission orders have trimmed inflated fee demands.

1. Online — rtionline.karnataka.gov.in lets you pick the public authority (every department, zilla panchayat, corporation and university in the state is listed), type the application, and pay by net banking, card, or UPI. You get a registration number instantly.
2. Indian Postal Order — for postal applications; write it in favour of the accounts officer of that office, and note the IPO number in your application.
3. Demand draft — in favour of the public authority's accounts officer, payable at its city.
4. Cash — only in person at the PIO's office, and insist on the challan/receipt. Without a receipt, cash is untraceable and your 30-day clock is hard to prove.

• State public authorities — the PIO of the department, office, local body or PSU that holds the record. A district office's records go to that district office, not the secretariat.
• Bengaluru civic matters — city corporations like BBMP have their own PIOs; address them directly.
• Central government offices in Karnataka — those follow the central Rs 10 fee, filed at rtionline.gov.in, not the state portal.
• Wrong office? The PIO must forward your application to the right one within 5 days under §6(3) — you do not pay again.

1. Ask, in writing, for the rule number and the exact amount behind the demand.
2. Quote §7(5) if you are BPL — the demand must drop.
3. No reply in 30 days, or a stubborn demand? File the free first appeal to the FAA of the same office within 30 days of the reply or of the deadline passing.
4. Still stuck? Second appeal, free, to the Karnataka Information Commission — kic.gov.in takes second appeals and complaints online; the Commission's PRO line is 080-22342090.

A short RTI asking the KIC itself for “the notified RTI fee schedule in force and the rule it was notified under” is a legitimate, effective counter-move when an office invents charges.

• The state portal is the fastest route — postal applications to rural offices routinely sit unregistered for a week.
• The KIC hears appeals in Bengaluru and on circuit; video-conference hearings are common for distant appellants.
• Applications can be in Kannada, Hindi or English — §6(1) lets you use the official language of your area.
• University, temple trust and cooperative-bank records are covered when the body is substantially financed by the government.

No — Rs 10 per application. Ask several numbered questions on one subject in one application; only copies and media attract extra charges.

Never. First and second appeals are free across India.

File again online — the Rs 10 is cheaper than a month of waiting. Keep the IPO counterfoil for a postal complaint if needed.

No prescribed central form exists, and Karnataka accepts plain paper with the fee. Format help: the valid RTI format explained.

• RTI fees in every Indian state
• Valid RTI application format
• First appeal deadlines worked out
• All state RTI portals
• The RTI Playbook

Last reviewed: 27 August 2026.