How to File RTI in Himachal Pradesh — citizen guide 2026

Himachal Pradesh runs a ₹10 RTI application fee, a working state online RTI portal, and an Information Commission at Khalini in Shimla — so a citizen in Kullu or Kangra can start a request on a phone and, if stonewalled, take it to second appeal without ever leaving the district. The Right to Information Act, 2005 is central law; HP applies it through the Himachal Pradesh Right to Information Rules, 2006 and its amendments. The clock is the national one: reply within 30 days under §7(1) — 48 hours where life or liberty is involved — with silence treated as refusal under §7(2).

• Fee: ₹10 application fee. Inspection of records costs ₹20 for each 30-minute period or fraction, from the first half-hour — the figure the consolidated rule 5 text now carries. The 2006 Rules as first notified said ₹10 per 15 minutes, which is the same ₹40 an hour; what changed is the period the fee is quoted in. There is no free first inspection hour in Himachal Pradesh.
• Online portal: onlinerti.hp.gov.in — file RTI applications and first appeals online for HP public authorities, with online payment. Since 26 November 2025 a Citizen Login is required to file a new request; first appeals, second appeals and status checks for applications submitted before that date work without login.
• Central offices in HP (post offices, income tax, railways, EPFO) do not go through the state portal — use rtionline.gov.in. That portal is explicit: applications for state-government public authorities filed there are returned without refund.
• Panchayati raj institutions and village-level bodies are public authorities under §2(h) — the Gram Panchayat, the Panchayat Samiti and the Zila Parishad each have a designated PIO.
• For apple-belt and horticulture matters — procurement prices, HPMC operations, subsidy lists — address the Department of Horticulture or HPMC as the public authority.
• Hindi works everywhere in the state; file in Hindi or English, but ask for records as records, not opinions.

1. Open onlinerti.hp.gov.in and register through Citizen Login.
2. Select the public authority (department, board, corporation, panchayat) holding the record.
3. Write the request — specific records, specific file numbers, a date range. Use the AI RTI Drafter to convert your problem into record-asks.
4. Pay the ₹10 fee online; submit and save the registration number.
5. Track replies and file the first appeal from the same portal when needed.

1. Address the application to the PIO, Office of the __ (department), Himachal Pradesh.
2. Attach the ₹10 fee — IPO or the mode the HP RTI Rules accept.
3. Send by registered post (keep the receipt) or deliver at the office counter and get an acknowledgement.
4. Note the date: day 30 under §7(1) is your deemed-refusal trigger under §7(2).

1. Any identity proof the portal asks for at registration
2. The ₹10 fee payment proof (IPO number or online receipt)
3. For BPL applicants: a copy of the BPL card — fees are waived under §7(5)
4. Your own prior correspondence, if the RTI follows a stalled grievance

1. Day 0 to Day 30 — PIO must reply under §7(1); 48 hours where life or liberty is involved.
2. Day 31 onwards — no reply is a deemed refusal under §7(2); a wrong refusal is appealable immediately.
3. First Appeal — to the department-designated FAA under §19(1), within 30 days. Draft it in the First Appeal Builder.
4. Second Appeal / Complaint — to the Himachal Pradesh State Information Commission under §19(3) within 90 days. No fee is charged for a second appeal or complaint in HP.
5. Penalty leverage: §20(1) allows ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) against a PIO who refuses or delays without reasonable cause.

Deadline detail: First Appeal timelines and FAA appellate-review checklist.

• Name: Himachal Pradesh State Information Commission
• Address: Keonthal Commercial Complex, Khalini, Shimla - 171002
• Phone: 0177-2620166, 0177-2620188
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: sic.hp.gov.in — case status, cause lists, decisions and downloadable forms

The Commission hears second appeals in chronological order, can condone delay beyond 90 days for sufficient cause, conducts hearings by video conferencing (available at the Commission office and NIC district headquarters), and holds sittings at district headquarters when pendency warrants. Check your case status on the website by name.

• Filing at the wrong PIO — route via the concerned department, not a generic grievance portal; §6(1) requires the PIO of the public authority holding the record (or §6(3) transfer does it for you).
• Asking “why” questions. Ask for records, not answers — see the records-not-answers drafting guide.
• Missing the fee payment on the online route — an unpaid application is treated as invalid.
• Skipping the application-identifier (file number, khasra number, Yojana name) that lets the PIO locate your file.
• Filing a state application on rtionline.gov.in — it will be returned, without refund of the online fee.
• Waiting for a “rejection letter” that never comes — appeal the silence itself under §7(2) + §19(1).

• HPMC apple procurement records — Himachal SIC — HPMC MIS procurement records (grower-wise): §4(1)(b)(xii) proactive disclosure required.
• Forest clearance records — Himachal HC — Forest clearances + compensatory afforestation records: §4(1)(b) proactive disclosure required.

Browse the full case-law database — 362 curated rulings and filter by court / section / keyword.

₹10 per application. Record inspection costs ₹10 per 15 minutes from the first quarter-hour, per the 2012 amendment to the HP RTI Rules.

Yes — onlinerti.hp.gov.in handles applications and first appeals for HP public authorities with online payment. Since 26 November 2025 you need a Citizen Login for a new request. Central-government offices in HP still go through rtionline.gov.in.

Keonthal Commercial Complex, Khalini, Shimla - 171002 (phones 0177-2620166 / 2620188, email [email protected], website sic.hp.gov.in). Older guides listing an Armsdale Building address are outdated.

No. The Commission charges no fee for a second appeal or complaint. File within 90 days of the first-appeal order (or of the date it was due); delay can be condoned for sufficient cause.

==== How long does the PIO have to reply? ==⇒ 30 days under §7(1); 48 hours where the request concerns life or liberty. After 30 days of silence, §7(2) makes it a deemed refusal and the appeal clock runs.

Yes. HP offices work in Hindi and English; ask for records either way. Keep the request to records and file numbers, not opinions.

They are public authorities under §2(h) with designated PIOs; the same ₹10 fee and 30-day clock apply. Address the application to the panchayat secretary if no PIO name is published.

Fall back to the postal route with an IPO, and check State-wise RTI fees for the fee modes. If the body is central (post office, EPFO, railways), file on rtionline.gov.in instead.

• Full Himachal Pradesh RTI guide
• How to file RTI online — national guide
• Why RTI gets rejected
• Ask for records, not answers
• Grounds for RTI rejection
• First Appeal timelines
• Sample RTI applications
• RTI FAQ — 25 most-asked questions
• The RTI Playbook book

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — §2(h), §6(1), §7(1), §7(2), §19(1), §19(3), §20(1)
• Himachal Pradesh Right to Information Rules, 2006 (with the 2012 fee amendment) — see the HP RTI Rules section on sic.hp.gov.in
• onlinerti.hp.gov.in — HP online RTI portal (login requirement effective 26 November 2025)
• sic.hp.gov.in — HP State Information Commission: address, phones, FAQ on appeal fee and procedure
• rtionline.gov.in — central-purposes-only warning quoted from the portal

Last reviewed: 27 August 2026. onlinerti.hp.gov.in and sic.hp.gov.in verified live. The inspection figure corrected against the HP RTI Rules 2006 text hosted by the State Information Commission: the consolidated rule 5 now carries ₹20 per 30 minutes or fraction (the 2006 original said ₹10 per 15 minutes — the same hourly rate), and the 2012 amendments touch postal charges and hearing procedure, not the inspection rate.