Need a certified copy of a govt record? File one RTI

This is an illustrative example of how the process typically plays out. Vishal needed a certified copy of his deceased uncle's pension sanction order for a probate proceeding. The pension office said “records are old, you need to come and search yourself”. Two visits, no progress.

He filed an RTI to the AG (Accountant General) PIO asking for: (1) inspection of pension files for his uncle's PPO, (2) certified copies of the sanction order, last revision order, and final settlement. Twenty-six days later he got an inspection appointment + the certified copies he needed. Probate proceeded smoothly.

Certified copies and inspection are statutory rights under §2(j)(i) and §7(9) of the RTI Act. They cannot be refused except under §8 / §9 / §11 — and “the record is old” is not one of those grounds.

1. 30-day clock under §7(1).
2. §7(9) mandates information be provided in the form requested (certified copy / inspection / soft copy / attested copy).
3. §2(j)(i) explicitly includes inspection of work, documents, records.
4. §2(j)(ii) explicitly includes taking notes, extracts, certified copies.

• §6(1) RTI Act — citizen's right to request.
• §7(1) — 30 days.
• §7(9) — information in the form requested (unless disproportionately diverts resources).
• §2(j)(i) — Right to information includes inspection.
• §2(j)(ii) — Right includes certified copies.
• §2(j)(iii) — Right includes diskette / floppy / electronic form.
• RTI Rules 2012 — fee schedule (₹2 per A4 page certified copy; ₹5 for inspection beyond first hour).

To,
The Public Information Officer (PIO),
[Name of Public Authority]

Subject: §6(1) + §7(9) RTI Act 2005 — request for certified copy /
         inspection of records

Sir/Madam,

Under §6(1) read with §2(j)(i), §2(j)(ii), and §7(9) of the
Right to Information Act, 2005, I request:

   1. Certified copies of the following documents:
      - [Document 1: e.g. sanction order no. ___ dated DD-MM-YYYY]
      - [Document 2: e.g. file noting on file no. ___]
      - [Document 3: e.g. inspection report dated DD-MM-YYYY]
      - [Document 4: e.g. payment voucher no. ___]
      - [Document 5: as needed]

   2. Inspection of the following file(s):
      - File no. [___] of subject matter [___]
      - At a date and time of mutual convenience.

   3. The total estimated fee for the above (₹2 per A4 page for
      certified copies + ₹5 per hour for inspection beyond first hour
      under RTI Rules 2012), payable on intimation.

   4. If any portion of any document is exempt under §8 / §9 / §11,
      please apply §10 (severability) and provide the non-exempt
      portion.

I am a citizen of India.

Application fee: ₹10 IPO/DD enclosed. Additional fee for copies /
inspection will be paid on intimation.

Yours faithfully,
[Name + address + signature + date]

1. Identify the right public authority (the one that holds the document) — the Find PIO directory helps you locate its PIO.
2. Identify the specific document / file (with reference number, date, subject if possible).
3. File via central / state RTI portal OR Speed Post.
4. ₹10 application fee + agree to pay copy/inspection fee on intimation.
5. For inspection — wait for the date/time intimation, carry your photo ID.
6. First Appeal → FAA under §19(1) within 30 days of the refusal or of the deadline passing (PIO/FAA knowledge base); Second Appeal → CIC / SIC under §19(3) within 90 days.

Read next:

• The RTI Playbook
• First appeal under §19 — when the PIO says no

• Land records — 7/12 or sat bara extracts, mutation entries, property cards (revenue office / talathi).
• Court records — judgments, orders, pleadings (from the court registry).
• Municipal records — building plans, occupation certificates, property tax receipts.
• Police records — FIRs, charge sheets (some investigation-stage material can be withheld under §8(1)(h) while an investigation is live).
• Contracts and tenders — the contract agreement and bid evaluation sheets (with the contracting authority).
• Service records — service book, promotion and transfer orders.
• File notings on a file where the decision has already been taken.

People ask for these for court cases and probate, to verify land or tax entries, for research and journalism, and for personal documentation — for example a deceased parent's service or pension records.

File RTI explicitly invoking §7(9) and §2(j)(ii). The RTI Act lists every ground of refusal in §8 / §9 / §11 — a record being old or archived is not one of them. If the record exists, the PIO must trace it and let you inspect or take a certified copy; you can offer to pay the extra retrieval cost for an archive search.

The §11 procedure applies only where the record contains another person's genuinely confidential information — a government record about a decision or a public transaction is not third-party material by default. Insist on §10 severability — non-exempt portions must be provided.

§8(1)(e) protects information held in a relationship of trust, like a trustee–beneficiary one. Records an office creates or keeps in its ordinary public duty are not fiduciary just because the office says so — press the point in first appeal.

File appeal — the RTI Rules 2012 fee is ₹2 per A4/A3 page (plus actual cost for large sheets). Anything far above that is a §19 appeal ground.

Being voluminous is not a ground of refusal — the fee is per page and you pay it. At most, §7(9) lets the PIO discuss the form (say, a soft copy instead of a thousand printed pages); outright denial still needs a §8 / §9 ground.

§7(9) gives you the right to the certified copy. If denied, that's a §19 appeal ground.

“Information” under §2(f) and “record” under §2(i) cover material in any form — including file notings. A blanket “internal notings are exempt” refusal matches no ground in §8 / §9. Ask for the notings on the specific decision file once the decision is taken, and challenge a blanket refusal in first appeal.

• CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, (2011) 8 SCC 497 — Citizen's right to inspection + certified copy of own answer sheets; the same principle applies to other government records held by a public authority.
• CPIO, Supreme Court of India v. Subhash Chandra Agarwal, (2019) — the Supreme Court's office is a public authority under RTI; even Supreme Court records are reachable through the RTI route.

• Vague document description — give file number, date, subject.
• Not invoking §7(9) explicitly.
• Not invoking §10 severability when partial exemption likely.
• Filing without offering to pay copy fee.

• Always enumerate documents one by one with file/order numbers.
• Always invoke §2(j)(i) for inspection + §2(j)(ii) for copies + §7(9) for form.
• For old records, mention you can pay extra for archive retrieval.
• For sensitive files, request §10 severability proactively.
• Carry photo ID + a notepad when inspecting; you can take notes / photos with PIO permission.

A certified copy is signed and stamped by the custodian officer as a true copy of the original record. Under the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 — in force from 1 July 2024, replacing the Indian Evidence Act 1872 — government records are public documents (§74); every public officer who has custody of a public document that a person has a right to inspect must give that person a certified copy on demand on payment of the legal fee (§75); and certified copies so given may be produced in court as proof of the contents of the original (§76).

That is why an RTI-obtained certified copy of a 7/12 extract, sanction order or judgment can be filed in a land dispute, service matter or probate without producing the original record. A plain photocopy carries no such certification and has far weaker evidentiary value.

A certified copy is certified by the officer holding the record — in an RTI reply, the PIO — as a true copy (§75, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023); an attested copy is signed by a notary or gazetted officer. A certified copy of a public document is admissible in court as proof of its contents (§76, BSA 2023).

Yes — High Court / SC judgments are public; District Court certified copies via Registrar.

Yes — public-interest under §8(2) overrides §8(1)(d) commercial confidence (subject to redactions).

The RTI Act does not create a remote-inspection right; you must visit (or send a representative with an authority letter). From a distance, it is usually simpler to ask for certified copies by post.

§8(1)(a) sovereignty exemption applies in narrow cases. Most routine records are not exempt.

Certified copies and inspection are the most powerful, most under-used rights in the RTI Act. Files that “can't be found”, documents “too old to trace”, or “we'll send by email” deflections all crumble against §7(9) + §2(j)(i) + §2(j)(ii). ₹10 + ₹2/page.

File the RTI.

1. RTI Act 2005 — §2(f), §2(i), §2(j), §6(1), §7(1), §7(9), §8, §9, §10, §11, §19.
2. Right to Information Rules, 2012 — fee schedule.
3. Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 — §74, §75, §76.
4. CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, (2011) 8 SCC 497.
5. CPIO, Supreme Court of India v. Subhash Chandra Agarwal (2019).