Kerala Information Commission Appeal and Contact Guide 2026

Last reviewed: 1 September 2026.

The Kerala State Information Commission is the second-appellate and complaint authority for Kerala public authorities under the RTI Act. It is not the first stop for every delayed request. Choose a second appeal when challenging a PIO/FAA outcome and a section 18 complaint only when the statutory complaint ground fits. Using the wrong route can delay the remedy you actually want.

Second appeal under section 19(3): use this after a first appeal when you challenge the information denial, incomplete disclosure, fee decision or lack of a First Appellate Authority decision. A second appeal is the normal route when you want the Commission to examine disclosure.

Complaint under section 18: use it for a statutory complaint ground, such as inability to submit an RTI application, refusal to accept it, no PIO, unreasonable fee or another matter falling within section 18. Explain the exact ground in the petition. A complaint and a second appeal are not labels to use interchangeably.

The Kerala portal provides distinct filing choices. Read the Commission guideline and select the correct one before uploading.

Section 19(3) sets a 90-day period, with power to admit a later appeal where sufficient cause prevented timely filing. Kerala’s official online-filing guideline describes the calculation as:

1. within 90 days of actual receipt of the First Appellate Authority’s decision; or
2. where no FAA decision was received, within 90 days after expiry of the 45-day period for that decision.

Do not wait for the last day. Record the dates of the RTI application, PIO reply, first appeal, delivery and FAA order. If filing late, include a specific signed delay-condonation explanation with supporting dates rather than assuming the portal will ignore delay.

The Commission’s filing guideline calls for signed PDF copies of the relevant record, including:

1. RTI application;
2. PIO reply, if received;
3. first appeal;
4. FAA order, if received;
5. documents relied upon in the petition; and
6. an index.

Add proof of filing or delivery where it explains a no-reply case. Number the pages and use the same names and dates in the petition and index. Do not upload unrelated personal records.

The online guideline specifies PDF only, with a maximum of 500 KB per page and a maximum of 10 pages for the same document. If a source record is longer, follow the current portal’s instructions rather than breaking it into misleading fragments. Make every page legible after compression.

1. Open File Petition on the official SIC portal.
2. Choose second appeal or complaint based on the RTI Act ground.
3. Enter the applicant, public authority and earlier proceeding details exactly.
4. Upload the signed, indexed PDFs in the portal’s required categories.
5. Review dates, phone number and relief before submitting.
6. Save the petition number and acknowledgement.

The portal uses the petition number and registered mobile/OTP flow for tracking. Never give an OTP to a person claiming to “approve” registration.

Use the Commission’s separate official pages:

• Petition tracking for registration and status;
• Cause list for listed matters; and
• Order tracking for available orders.

A registered petition is not the same as a hearing date, and a cause-list entry is not a final order. Preserve each lifecycle event separately. Check the notice itself for hearing mode, date, documents and contact instructions; do not rely on an old article’s generic statement about video or physical hearings.

Use numbered grounds. For each disputed RTI item, show what was asked, what the PIO said, why that response fails, and the precise relief sought. Where an exemption was cited, address the exact clause and request severance under section 10 if non-exempt material can be separated.

A compact relief section may ask the Commission to:

1. direct disclosure of the identified records/items;
2. direct severance and disclosure of non-exempt portions under section 10;
3. record that information was delayed and apply section 7(6), where applicable;
4. require the public authority to address the demonstrated record-management issue; and
5. pass any other order available under the RTI Act on the proved facts.

Do not demand a guaranteed penalty. Section 20 powers belong to the Commission and depend on statutory conditions and the officer’s explanation.

Recent Kerala government department RTI pages list the Commission as:

Contact details can change. Verify the official portal or a current Kerala government contact page before travelling or posting original documents. The previous version’s phone number, postal code and email were not retained because they did not match the current government pages reviewed.

Check format, per-page size, document-page limit, signature and mandatory fields. Compress for file size without destroying readability. Rename files simply and remove password protection. Take a screenshot of any persistent technical error showing date, time and message, then use the Commission’s official contact channel. Do not create several duplicate petitions unless instructed.

An FAA ordinarily has 30 days to decide a first appeal and may use up to 45 days in exceptional cases with reasons recorded in writing. While no reply after that stage supports moving forward, preserve proof of first-appeal filing. The Commission needs to see that the first-appellate step occurred when a second appeal is filed.

The Commission’s official online-filing guideline states that no fee is payable for filing a second appeal or complaint.

A second appeal normally follows the first appeal under section 19. A section 18 complaint is a different route and must rest on a complaint ground; it is not a universal shortcut.

Kerala’s guideline uses 90 days from actual receipt of the FAA decision, or 90 days after expiry of 45 days where no FAA decision was received, subject to statutory condonation for sufficient cause.

The guideline specifies signed PDF documents, maximum 500 KB per page, with a maximum of 10 pages for the same document.

Use the official petition-tracking page with the petition number and registered mobile/OTP process. Use the separate cause-list and order pages for later stages.

No. Registration only confirms processing as a petition. Listing, hearing, decision and compliance are separate stages.

Section 20’s monetary-penalty provision is directed at the PIO/CPIO or SPIO in the stated circumstances. Do not present a penalty against the FAA as an automatic remedy.

Do not send irreplaceable originals unless an official notice specifically requires them. File signed copies as directed and keep the complete originals and delivery proof.

• Kerala State Information Commission portal
• Kerala SIC — file a petition
• Kerala SIC — online filing guideline
• Kerala SIC — petition tracking
• Kerala SIC — cause list
• Kerala SIC — order tracking
• Kerala Women and Child Development Department — current SIC contact listing

• RTI first appeal guide
• Second appeal guide
• Second appeal format
• State RTI portals directory
• The RTI Playbook

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