Quick Reply: Uttar Pradesh accepts RTI applications on its Form A or on plain paper, in Hindi or English, with a ₹10 fee. The state's own fee schedule adds two quirks: inspection costs ₹10 for the first hour — no free hour — and ₹5 per 15 minutes after. Since 17 June 2026, second appeals must be filed online through the UP State Information Commission's portal; offline filing has ended.
Form: Form A or plain paper
Language: Hindi preferred, English accepted
Application fee: ₹10
Photocopy: ₹2/page
Inspection: ₹10 first hour, then ₹5/15 minutes
Commission portal: upsic.up.gov.in
There is no magic to the printed form. Section 6(2) of the RTI Act lets a citizen apply on plain paper without a reason, and UP's Form A simply standardises the fields. What does matter is getting the office, the fee and the language right.
Applicant name and father's or husband's name — as on your ID
Postal address with PIN — the reply must reach you by post where you ask for it
Mobile and email — optional but useful for portal and SMS updates
The public authority and PIO — name the office precisely; “Zila Panchayat, Barabanki” beats “UP government”
The information sought — numbered points, each for a specific record and period
BPL status — with card or certificate copy; the fee vanishes under §7(5)
Fee mode — cash against receipt, demand draft, banker's cheque or Indian Postal Order
Date and signature
In practice Hindi travels faster through district offices; English is fully valid. Number the questions so the PIO's reply can be checked point by point.
The verified UP fee schedule
The Commission publishes the schedule as its Fee and Costs document:
Application: ₹10 — cash against proper receipt, demand draft, banker's cheque or Indian Postal Order, payable to the concerned public authority
Copies: ₹2 per page of A-4 or A-3 created or copied
Larger paper: actual charge or cost price
Samples, models, priced publications: actual cost, or the fixed price
Inspection: ₹10 for the first hour, then ₹5 per 15 minutes or fraction — UP gives no free hour, unlike most states
Diskette, floppy or CD: ₹50
Maps and plans: fee fixed case by case by the PIO on labour and material cost
Head of account: fees are deposited under “0070-Other Administrative Services… Receipts under Right to Information Act, 2005”
Where to submit
Online: upsic.up.gov.in — the Commission's portal runs the state's online RTI workflow, with help documents for citizens, PIOs and First Appellate Authorities
By post: to the PIO of the public authority, with a ₹10 IPO or demand draft — speed post with the dispatch slip kept
In person: at the PIO's office against a stamped receipt
The 17 June 2026 online rule
By its office order dated 15 June 2026, the Commission made online filing of second appeals and complaints mandatory from 17 June 2026 and ended offline presentation. If you are past the first-appeal stage, the paper route no longer exists — register on the portal, use the e-filing system, and follow the online hearing guide it publishes. First appeals to departmental FAAs continue as before.
Common rejection grounds
Wrong public authority — the application lands in a department that holds nothing; it should be transferred under §6(3), but re-filing cleanly is faster
Fee not enclosed — attach the IPO and write its number, date and payee in the application
No signature or date — the office returns the form on this technicality alone
Composite subjects — split unrelated subjects into separate applications
Questions, not records — ask for certified copies of documents; officers cannot be made to answer “why” under RTI
Real example. Kashvi Pathak's Form A to a Lucknow registrar's office came back “incomplete” twice — first for a missing PIN, then for an “unattached” fee the office had actually received. She filed an RTI about her own RTI: movement of the file, name of the dealing officer, and the date her IPO was encashed. The reply surfaced in nine days, with the information attached.
Day 0: file with fee, signature, date
Day 30: silence is deemed refusal — file the first appeal with the FAA
Day 45-90: FAA fails — second appeal online to the Commission
Frequently asked questions
No. Plain paper under §6(2) is lawful; Form A is the tidy way district offices prefer.
What is the UP RTI fee?
₹10 application, ₹2 a page — and note UP's inspection charge: ₹10 for the first hour and ₹5 per 15 minutes after, with no free first hour.
Can I file the second appeal on paper?
Not since 17 June 2026. The Commission's order moved second appeals and complaints wholly online.
Is Hindi compulsory?
No, but it is the practical default in district offices. Both languages are valid.
Primary sources
Last reviewed: 26 August 2026. Fee schedule and the online-appeal order verified against the UP State Information Commission portal.