RTI for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know Before Filing Your

The Right to Information Act, 2005:

1. Gives every Indian citizen the right to ask for information held by a public authority.
2. Requires the authority to reply within 30 days (48 hours for life-and-liberty matters).
3. Charges Rs. 10 as fee (BPL free).
4. Applies to Central, State, and local governments, and to private bodies substantially financed by public funds.
5. Has a First Appeal (to a senior officer in the same office) and a Second Appeal (to the Information Commission).
6. Penalises officers who default — Rs. 250 per day, up to Rs. 25,000.

Any body of the Central, State, Local government, or substantially funded by them. Includes ministries, CBSE, UPSC, UIDAI, EPFO, RBI, SEBI, NHAI, universities, panchayats, municipalities, public banks, PSUs.

Records, documents, emails, memos, advices, opinions, logs, samples, reports, data — held by a public authority in any form. File notings are covered.

Public Information Officer (state) / Central Public Information Officer. Each authority designates one. He / she receives and replies to RTIs.

An officer senior to the PIO in the same authority. Hears the First Appeal against the PIO's reply (or non-reply).

Central Information Commission (for central bodies) and State Information Commission (for state bodies). Hears Second Appeal. Quasi-judicial.

Section 8 of the Act lists nine heads of exempt information — security, commercial confidence, legal privilege, personal information, etc. These are narrow; the rule is disclosure.

• Your own file (passport, Aadhaar, PAN, EPF, licence, school, scheme).
• Public works (roads, bridges, hospitals, schools).
• Budgets, tenders, contracts.
• Decision files, file notings, circulars.
• Inspection and audit reports.
• Beneficiary lists (aggregated).
• Exam answer sheets.

• Third-party personal data (Section 8(1)(j)).
• Security / strategic / sovereignty info (Section 8(1)(a)).
• Pre-decisional cabinet papers (Section 8(1)(i)).
• Commercial confidence / trade secrets (Section 8(1)(d)).
• Contempt of court / Parliament's privilege.
• Ongoing criminal investigation material that would impede (Section 8(1)(h)).

Which government body has the information? Ministry, state department, local body, PSU, university, commission?

For central bodies, the list is at rtionline.gov.in. For state bodies, at the state RTI portal. For panchayats, the Panchayat Secretary. For municipalities, the Ward Officer or Municipal Commissioner's office.

On plain paper or online. Use the template below.

Online: via card / UPI / netbanking. Offline: Indian Postal Order in favour of “Accounts Officer, [Body]” (or as specified).

Online: submit on the portal; save the Registration Number. Offline: Speed Post with Acknowledgement Due; keep the tracking number.

Mark the calendar. Re-read the Act's Section 7 — the reply window.

If full reply — done. Partial / evasive / no reply — go to First Appeal.

Within 30 days of receiving reply (or of reply deadline missed). Free. No format. Addressed to the FAA of the same office.

If First Appeal fails, within 90 days to the CIC / SIC.

To,
The Public Information Officer,
[Department / Office],
[Address]

Subject: Application under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Sir/Madam,

I, [Full Name], citizen of India, resident of [Full Address with PIN], submit this request for the following information:

[Context — one or two sentences about the file / subject]

Please provide:

1. [First specific question]
2. [Second specific question]
3. ...
(5 to 10 questions; no more)

I enclose Indian Postal Order No. __________ dated __________ for Rs. 10.

I declare that I am an Indian citizen.

Yours faithfully,

[Full Name]
[Signature]
[Date] [Place]

1. Pick one subject per RTI.
2. Number your questions.
3. Ask for specific records, not “all information”.
4. Quote reference numbers — file, beneficiary, roll, PPO.
5. Keep language simple, polite, factual.
6. Request certified copies where documentary evidence is needed.
7. Keep a photocopy / screenshot of what you filed.
8. Mark day 30 on your calendar.
9. Use the state portal for state matters, central for central.
10. Share the reply with someone who needs to see it.

• Day 0 – 7: You get an acknowledgement and a Registration Number.
• Day 7 – 20: The PIO pulls the file; drafts reply.
• Day 30: Reply arrives.
• Day 31+: If incomplete, you file First Appeal. Free. 30-day window.
• Day 60+: If still unsatisfactory, Second Appeal. 90-day window.

• Asking 25 questions in one application. Cap at 10.
• Vague or broad asks. “All records”. Refused.
• Missing the Rs. 10 fee or paying wrong. Application returned.
• Filing in English in a state that requires regional language (rare but happens).
• Giving up after a disappointing reply. First Appeal wins many cases.

• Keep a personal RTI folder — every RTI and reply goes in.
• Bookmark rtionline.gov.in (central) and your state portal.
• Subscribe to the CIC / SIC judgment newsletter — it is free and informative.
• Join a local RTI circle — Delhi, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Ahmedabad all have active groups.
• Use AI drafting cautiously. Review every line. See AI to draft your RTI.

Q1. Do I need to justify why I want the information?
No. The Act explicitly says “no reasons need be given” in Section 6(2).

Q2. Can the PIO refuse an RTI because I am young / foreign-born / NRI?
Citizenship is the test, not age or residence. An NRI with Indian citizenship can file. A foreigner cannot (exception: academic research — discretionary).

Q3. Can I file in my mother tongue?
Yes. Official language of the area, Hindi, or English — all valid.

Q4. What if they say the file is “lost”?
Insist on a certification of loss. Section 20 penalises lost files. Usually the file is found.

Q5. What is the best way to learn RTI practice?
Read 20 replies filed by experienced activists. Read 20 CIC orders. File three small RTIs yourself. You will have the practice in one quarter.

Twenty years ago, filing an RTI meant going to a government office with a letter. Today, it is an online form. The mechanics have changed; the spirit has not.

Democracy rests on an informed citizen. This Act is your share of that work. Start with one RTI. You will be surprised how far a polite letter can travel.

• File RTI online — 12-step guide
• Pillar — RTI Mastery
• AI to draft your RTI
• Ready-to-file templates
• Responsible use of RTI

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026. Section references from the Right to Information Act, 2005 (as amended 2019, and read with DPDP Rules, 2025).