Andhra Pradesh RTI rules - 2026 citizen guide

Andhra Pradesh applies the Andhra Pradesh Right to Information Rules, 2005 (with subsequent amendments) for all state public authorities. The fee is ₹10 per application (BPL: zero). Reply deadline: 30 days under §7(1) of the central RTI Act. An online portal exists at rtionline.ap.gov.in (register, file and first-appeal online) — where it does not cover your public authority, post and counter remain the fallback. Postal Speed Post (AD) remains the universal fallback.

• Central: Right to Information Act, 2005 — Section 6 application, Section 7 the 30-day clock, Section 19 appeals, Section 20 the ₹250-a-day penalty on a PIO, capped at ₹25,000.
• AP-specific: Andhra Pradesh RTI Rules, 2005 (with amendments), made under §27 of the central Act. The Commission's current portal is sic.ap.gov.in (the older aprtic.gov.in address no longer resolves — use sic.ap.gov.in).
• Online: rtionline.ap.gov.in (limited departments). For wider coverage use central rtionline.gov.in for AP central authorities.

• District-level: PIO at the Office of the District Collector.
• State-level: PIO at the department headquarters, AP Secretariat, Velagapudi (Amaravati).
• Second Appeal: Andhra Pradesh Information Commission, 1st Floor, MGM Capital, near NRI Hospital Cross Roads, NH-16 service road, Chinnakakani, Mangalagiri, Guntur district 522503. Helpline 0863-2387345, email [email protected], Mon-Fri 10:00-17:30. sic.ap.gov.in.

Two deadlines decide most AP appeals. The first appeal under §19(1) goes to the officer senior to the PIO in the same public authority, within 30 days of the reply — or of the day the reply was due — and carries no fee. The second appeal under §19(2) goes to the AP Information Commission within 90 days of the first-appeal decision. Miss the window and you must show reasonable cause, which is a fight you can avoid by filing on time with proof of posting.

Use our AI RTI Drafter - auto-fills AP fee + Telugu/English bilingual support. For state-specific scenarios:

• Index of all sample RTI letters

• Sending to an old AP SIC address - the Commission works from MGM Capital, Mangalagiri (Guntur district) today. Always check the official site for the current address.
• Using the dead aprtic.gov.in address - the portal is now sic.ap.gov.in; mail to the old domain does not arrive.
• Telangana confusion - AP and Telangana are separate states since 2014. Telangana has its own commission at tgic.telangana.gov.in. RTI for Hyderabad goes to Telangana, not AP.
• Paying by a mode the office does not take - IPO, demand draft, court-fee stamp or cash against receipt as the authority prescribes; an IPO is the one mode every office accepts.

The first appeal is decided inside the department, quickly, by an officer who knows the PIO. Make it count by attaching the original application, the reply or the proof of no-reply, and a one-paragraph ground: which part of the request went unanswered, or which exemption was claimed wrongly. Ask for a speaking order — a decision that states reasons — because a reasoned first appeal either gets you the information or builds the entire record your second appeal at Mangalagiri will sit on. Most weak second appeals are weak because the first appeal was a bare complaint with no grounds.

A second appeal before the Commission runs on its own calendar - months, not weeks - which is one more reason to make the first appeal count: a well-argued first appeal often removes the need for the second.

No. The RTI Act does not require the applicant to give reasons, and a demand for “purpose” is a ground in your first appeal. The only exception the Act recognises is the life-or-liberty urgency under Section 7(1), where the reason sets the 48-hour clock, not the entitlement.

• Right to Information Act, 2005 - full text
• Andhra Pradesh RTI Rules, 2005 (as amended)
• AP Information Commission portal
• AP online RTI filing

• All-state RTI rules
• Telangana RTI rules
• AI RTI Drafter
• State-wise fee chart
• The RTI Playbook

Last reviewed: 25 August 2026.