RTI fee in Punjab — the 2017 Rules schedule

The Punjab Right to Information Rules, 2017 — notification No. G.S.R. 23/C.A.22/2005/8.27/2017, published in the Punjab Government Gazette (Extra) of 5 July 2017 — govern fees in the state. They replaced the 2007 and 2005 rules, and the Punjab State Information Commission hosts all three on its RTI Rules page.

• Application fee, Rule 3: ₹10; the application shall ordinarily not exceed 500 words excluding annexures and addresses — and no application may be rejected only for running longer
• Photocopies, Rule 4(a): ₹2 for each page in A-3 or smaller size
• Large paper, 4(b): actual cost or price of a photocopy in larger size
• Samples or models, 4©: actual cost or price
• Diskette or floppy, 4(d): ₹50
• Publications, 4(e): the fixed price — or ₹2 per photocopied page for extracts
• Inspection, 4(f): no fee for the first hour, then ₹5 for each subsequent hour or fraction
• Postal charge: chargeable where the cost of supply exceeds ₹50
• Appeals, Rule 8: an appeal to the Commission travels with documents only — no fee is prescribed

Rule 5 waives fees up to ₹50 in total — covering rules 3 and 4 — for a below-poverty-line applicant who attaches a certificate issued by the appropriate government. Unlike most states, where §7(5) of the Act wipes out every fee, Punjab's rule frames the waiver as a ₹50 ceiling. In practice an application plus a short reply fits inside ₹50 with room to spare; for a voluminous file the PIO may lawfully point at the cap. Attach the certificate up front and cite both §7(5) and Rule 5.

• Cash to the public authority or its Assistant PIO, against a proper receipt
• Demand draft, banker's cheque or Indian Postal Order payable to the Accounts Officer of the public authority
• Electronic means to the Accounts Officer, where the authority accepts them — and the state's online portal collects the ₹10 digitally

• Online: rti.punjab.gov.in — the Government of Punjab's RTI portal for applications and first appeals
• Commission: infocommpunjab.com — the Punjab State Information Commission; RTI helpline 0172-2864100, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Second appeal, Rule 8: to the Commission with copies of the application, the reply, the first appeal, the FAA order, other relied-upon documents and an index — by post or as the Commission directs

Real example. Kashvi Pathak filed for a Ludhiana municipal file and was told ₹20 was the application fee “after the new rules”. The 2017 Rules say ₹10. She showed the PIO the notification number, paid ₹10 through the portal, and the office corrected its counter board the same week.

Get the demand in writing with the rule number. Anything outside Rules 3 and 4 — search fees, urgent fees, per-question charges — is not in the 2017 Rules, and a first appeal lies within 30 days.

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₹10. Some filing services still quote ₹50; the Punjab RTI Rules, 2017 fixed ₹10, and the state portal collects ₹10.

Ordinarily 500 words excluding annexures — but an application cannot be rejected only on that ground.

No. Rule 8 lists the documents an appeal must carry; no fee is prescribed.

Fees up to ₹50 in total are waived with a government-issued BPL certificate under Rule 5.

• RTI fees in all states
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• The RTI Playbook

• Punjab Right to Information Rules, 2017 — Gazette of Punjab, 5 July 2017
• Punjab State Information Commission — RTI Rules page, 2017/2007/2005
• rti.punjab.gov.in — Government of Punjab online RTI portal

Last reviewed: 26 August 2026. Schedule verified line by line against the gazette text of the Punjab RTI Rules, 2017 hosted by the Commission.