File RTI in Kerala — 2026 guide

Kerala accepts RTI at Central (rtionline.gov.in, Rs 10), State (in person or by post, Rs 10), and local-body (panchayat/municipality, Rs 10) levels. Malayalam, Hindi, and English are accepted under §4(3). The Kerala State Information Commission sits in Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala has a strong RTI culture — response times are among India's best (20-30 days average). Kerala scored 45/50 on the State RTI Portal Rankings 2026.

• Address: Punnen Road, Statue, Thiruvananthapuram-695001
• Website: https://keralasic.gov.in (Malayalam / English)
• Email: [email protected]
• Second Appeal: within 90 days of FAA decision

• Malayalam filing: §4(3) and State-language policy allow native filing; no applicant-side translation needed.
• e-District Kerala: integrates some services but not a unified RTI portal — paper and Akshaya Kendra routes remain primary.
• Kerala's strong §4 compliance: many departments maintain well-populated §4(1)(b) disclosure pages. Use these FIRST before filing an RTI — saves 30 days.
• Cooperative sector: after Thalappalam (SC 2013) and Kerala HC 2017, routine cooperatives are NOT §2(h) public authorities.
• Pensioner-rights: under Kerala HC 2018, a pensioner is entitled to their own pension calculation, arrears and retirement-benefit records.

Template 1 — Panchayat / LSG accounts

Kindly provide the following information under the RTI Act, 2005:

1. Copy of the annual income-and-expenditure statement of
   [Panchayat name], [block], [district] for the FY [year].
2. Copies of all works tendered and completion reports for the
   said year.
3. MGNREGS muster rolls and job-card register for the period.
4. Details of plan-fund utilisation with project-wise breakdown.

Template 2 — Revenue / land records

Kindly provide the following information under the RTI Act, 2005:

1. Copy of the pokkuvaravu / mutation file for Survey No.
   [SF No.], [village], [taluk], [district].
2. Copies of the Thandaper register entries for the said
   survey number.
3. Current status of the transfer — pending, allowed, rejected.
4. Copy of the Tahsildar's order if passed.

Template 3 — Government hospital records (own treatment)

Kindly provide the following information under the RTI Act, 2005:

1. Copy of my hospital admission file dated [date] at [Hospital name].
2. Discharge summary, billing breakup, and treating-physician's notes.
3. If treatment under Karunya / Aarogyakeralam scheme, details of
   scheme utilisation.
4. Copies of any medico-legal documentation (with appropriate
   redaction where required).

• “Records with LSGD” — §6(3) transfer within 5 days, get the transfer letter.
• “§8(1)(j) — personal” — post-DPDP 2025, check if genuinely about another person. Public-authority action isn't personal.
• “Not in our records” — ask for the department's file-register to verify.

• Cooperative banks under RTI — Kerala HC 2017
• Pension records — Kerala HC 2018
• MGNREGS beneficiary lists — Kerala HC 2020
• Ration-card records — Kerala SIC 2020
• Political parties under RTI — Kerala HC 2015

1. First Appeal to FAA within 30 days.
2. Second Appeal to Kerala SIC, Thiruvananthapuram, within 90 days.
3. Writ petition to Kerala High Court (at Kochi) under Article 226.

Q1: Can I file RTI in Malayalam? Yes. §4(3) permits local-language filing; Malayalam is accepted without applicant-side translation.

Q2: Is there a Kerala state-wide RTI portal? No unified portal. Some department-specific online forms exist; paper / in-person remains primary.

Q3: What's the average response time in Kerala? 20-30 days — among the best in India. Kerala's §4 compliance means you often don't need to file at all.

Q4: Where is the Kerala SIC? Punnen Road, Thiruvananthapuram. Website: keralasic.gov.in.

Q5: Is RTI fee reduced in Kerala? No — standard Rs 10 State fee. BPL applicants fully exempt.

• Lokayukta inquiry report RTI — Kerala HC 2024 — Concluded anti-corruption findings are public; live inquiries are protected.
• Kerala Beverage Corp records — Kerala HC — KSBC = §2(h); tender + licensing + revenue records disclosable.
• Service book disclosure to public servant — Kerala HC — Own service book + notings fully accessible; §8(1)(j) protects against third-party access only.
• Ration card / PDS records — Kerala SIC — PDS beneficiary lists are §4 suo-motu material; individual card entitlements also disclosable.
• MGNREGS beneficiary lists — Kerala HC — MGNREGS muster rolls = §4(1)(b)(xii); name+aggregate-days disclosable, Aadhaar/bank details protected.
• Pension records — Kerala HC — A pensioner's own records (pension calc, arrears, retirement benefits) are disclosable to him under RTI.
• Cooperative banks under RTI — Kerala HC — Post-Thalappalam, cooperative banks are public authorities only if substantial State financing is proven.
• Political party accounts — Kerala HC 2015 — State units of political parties held NOT public authorities under §2(h) — contrast with CIC ruling.

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

• Pan-India RTI filing
• Maharashtra · Karnataka · Tamil Nadu · Delhi
• RTI fees by State
• State RTI Portal Rankings 2026

• Kerala SIC: https://keralasic.gov.in
• Kerala Government: https://kerala.gov.in
• e-District: https://edistrict.kerala.gov.in

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.