RTI Guide 2026: File RTI, Reply as PIO, Hear First Appeal, Manage Public Authority Compliance

• File an RTI online in 10 minutes. Step-by-step on rtionline.gov.in with the Rs 10 fee flow.
• AI RTI Drafter. Free tool. Describe the problem, get a Section 6(1) draft.
• How to file an RTI under Section 6. Drafting, fee, timelines, transfer rules.
• First appeal under Section 19(1). When, where, format, what the FAA can do.
• Second appeal to the Information Commission. Section 19(3) procedure.
• PIO duties and reply checklist. Five-question test, file noting, severability.
• FAA guide and speaking-order structure.
• Public authority compliance guide.

• File an RTI: full Section 6 procedure
• Fill the form, line by line
• Find the right PIO
• When the reply is free
• Sample applications: 30+ subjects

• First appeal: Section 19(1)
• Second appeal: Section 19(3)
• Complaint: Section 18
• Penalty + compensation: Section 20 and 19(8)(b)
• All RTI time limits in one table

• PIO guide
• FAA guide
• Public authority guide
• Template: PIO reply
• Template: FAA speaking order

• Right to Information Act, 2005 - full text, as amended. Sections 1-31.
• Section-by-section summary. One-paragraph note per section.
• Fundamental RTI facts. Fifteen facts every applicant should know.
• Grounds for rejection: Section 8 in plain language.
• What is a public authority?.
• What is public interest?.
• Third party under Section 11.
• DPDP 2025: the amendment to Section 8(1)(j).

• Template library. First RTI, first appeal, second appeal, PIO reply, FAA speaking order.
• First RTI application.
• First appeal.
• Second appeal.
• PIO standard reply.
• PIO partial disclosure with severability.
• PIO third-party notice under Section 11.
• FAA speaking order.
• 30+ sample RTIs by subject.

• You are a citizen who wants information from a government department, university, panchayat, public-sector bank, or any body falling under Section 2(h).
• You are a Public Information Officer who has just received an application and needs to reply within 30 days under Section 7.
• You are a senior officer designated as the First Appellate Authority and you have a Section 19(1) appeal pending.
• You head an RTI cell at a public authority and need to map out Section 4 compliance, the annual return to the Commission, and your record-management workflow.

If you are none of the above and want to read about the law itself, start with the full Act or the 25-question FAQ.

The Right to Information Act, 2005 gives every Indian citizen a statutory right to ask for information held by a public authority and obliges the authority to reply within 30 days, on penalty of Rs 250 a day on the responsible officer.

Any citizen of India. No PAN, Aadhaar, or proof of citizenship is required at the time of filing, although a citizenship declaration is part of the standard format. Companies and foreigners cannot file in their own name; they must use a citizen-shareholder or citizen-employee.

Rs 10 application fee at the Centre. State fees range from Rs 10 to Rs 50. Photocopies are typically Rs 2 per page. Applicants who hold a BPL card pay nothing. See when information must be supplied free of cost.

30 days from the date of receipt by the PIO. 48 hours where the information concerns the life or liberty of a person. 40 days where the information involves a third party who must be heard under Section 11. 5 days extra if the application was first received by an Assistant PIO or transferred under Section 6(3).

A “deemed refusal” under Section 7(2). The applicant can file a first appeal under Section 19(1) on day 31 without waiting any longer. The Information Commission can later impose a penalty of Rs 250 per day under Section 20 if the delay is found to be without reasonable cause.

Only by applying the revised Section 8(1)(j) test as it stands after the DPDP commencement on 14 November 2025. Personal information is now a hard exemption, with the public-interest override moved to Section 8(2). The PIO must still record reasons in writing and apply Section 10 severability before refusing in full.

An officer of the same public authority who is senior in rank to the PIO. The FAA is named in the Section 4(1)(b) disclosure of the public authority. The FAA must decide the appeal within 30 days, extendable to 45 days for recorded reasons.

After the FAA's order, or after the FAA's deadline expires, whichever is earlier. The second appeal under Section 19(3) must be filed within 90 days. Use the format prescribed by the Central or State Information Commission's rules.

Use our AI RTI Drafter. It produces a Section 6(1) draft with your name and address pre-filled, plus a draft first appeal and second appeal if needed. Free, no login.

A complaint under Section 18 challenges the conduct of the PIO (refused to accept the application, gave misleading information, demanded a reason). A second appeal under Section 19(3) challenges the decision (denial of information, partial disclosure, fee dispute). The Commission can impose a penalty in either route.

1. The Right to Information Act, 2005 (No. 22 of 2005) - India Code official text, as amended.
2. rtionline.gov.in - Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India, Central RTI portal.
3. cic.gov.in - Central Information Commission.
4. DoPT Master Circular on RTI Act.
5. Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 - Section 44(3) amends RTI Section 8(1)(j).

Last reviewed: 9 May 2026.