Puducherry (UT) RTI Guide 2026

The Right to Information Act, 2005 applies fully in Puducherry (UT). State-specific rules under §27 govern fee, format, and First Appeal procedure. Capital: Puducherry. State Information Commission: (no dedicated state portal). RTI fee: ₹10. Online portal: Not yet — file by post. This guide gives you the operational rules + sample RTIs + key state authorities + escalation ladder for Puducherry (UT) citizens.

Reviewed on: 23 April 2026.

1. Online (where available): Use the state portal Not yet — file by post.
2. By post: Address to the Public Information Officer of the concerned department. Send by Registered Post.
3. Walk-in: At the department's office during working hours. Get a dated receipt.
4. Pay ₹10 via Indian Postal Order (IPO) in favour of “Accounts Officer, [Department]” — OR via the online portal payment gateway.
5. BPL applicants: No fee. Attach BPL/Antyodaya/AAY card.

Puducherry SIC · Lieutenant Governor's Office

For Central Government RTIs filed FROM Puducherry (UT), use rtionline.gov.in which routes to the relevant central ministry.

To:
The Public Information Officer,
[Department name],
Government of Puducherry (UT),
[Department address, Puducherry].

Subject: RTI under §6 of the RTI Act, 2005 — [your subject]

Sir/Madam,

Under the Right to Information Act, 2005, I, [Name], resident of
[address with PIN], request the following information:

1. [Specific item 1.]
2. [Specific item 2.]
3. Copy of the noting sheet of the file from receipt till the date
   of this reply.
4. Name, designation, and contact of the dealing officer at present.
5. Service standard / SLA applicable to this matter and the reason
   for delay, if any.

I am enclosing ₹10 via IPO in favour of "Accounts Officer,
[Department]". (BPL applicants: card copy enclosed; fee waived under §7(5).)

Yours faithfully,
[Name]
[Address, mobile, email]
Date: [Today]

To:
The First Appellate Authority,
[Senior officer designation, e.g., Joint Secretary],
[Department name], Government of Puducherry (UT),
[Address, Puducherry].

Subject: First Appeal under §19(1) of the RTI Act, 2005

[See full template at https://righttoinformation.wiki/rti-first-appeal-second-appeal-guide]

To:
The Registrar,
Puducherry (UT) State Information Commission,
[Address from (no dedicated state portal)].

Subject: Second Appeal under §19(3) of the RTI Act, 2005

[See full template at https://righttoinformation.wiki/rti-first-appeal-second-appeal-guide]

• Puducherry RTI Forum v. UT (Madras HC 2023) — currently controlling on this state's RTI practice.
• General Supreme Court rulings apply: see 10 Landmark SC RTI Rulings.
• Apply HC rulings of your jurisdiction.

• Passport delay → Passport Delay RTI
• EPF / PF claim → EPFO Claim Status RTI
• Income Tax refund → IT Refund RTI
• PAN card delay → PAN Card Delay RTI
• FIR copy → How to Get an FIR Copy
• MGNREGA wage delay → MGNREGA RTI
• PMAY status → PMAY Status RTI
• Driving licence → Driving Licence RTI
• Ration card → Ration Card RTI
• IRCTC refund → IRCTC RTI

1. Day 0 — File RTI to PIO (online or registered post).
2. Day 30 — PIO reply due under §7(1).
3. Day 60 — First Appeal under §19(1) to FAA (within 30 days of PIO order).
4. Day 60-105 — FAA decision due (30-45 days under §19(6)).
5. Day 195 — Second Appeal under §19(3) to Puducherry (UT) SIC.
6. Last resort — Writ under Article 226 to the High Court of Puducherry (UT).

• CPGRAMS (Central): pgportal.gov.in
• State portal: Not yet — file by post
• State SIC: (no dedicated state portal)
• National RTI helpline: Use the state's general grievance number.

₹10 under the Puducherry (UT) RTI Rules. BPL exempt under §7(5). Pay via Indian Postal Order (IPO) for postal filings or via the online portal where available.

No — Puducherry (UT) does not yet have a unified RTI online portal. File by Registered Post to the concerned department's PIO. Some specific departments may have their own grievance portals.

The Puducherry (UT) SIC composition is updated on its website (no dedicated state portal). Composition changes periodically — check the website for current Commissioners.

If the Second Appeal hearing is delayed beyond reasonable time, file a writ petition under Article 226 to the High Court of Puducherry (UT). The HC has supervisory jurisdiction over the SIC.

(a) Indian Postal Order (IPO) in favour of the Accounts Officer of the concerned department; (b) Demand Draft in some districts; © Online via the state portal where it accepts payment; (d) Cash at counter during walk-in filing (get receipt).

• All-states RTI comparison
• First Appeal & Second Appeal Complete Guide
• §8 Exemptions explained
• Fee Calculator
• Deadline Calculator
• AI RTI Drafter

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — cic.gov.in
• Puducherry (UT) RTI Rules (state notification)
• Puducherry (UT) State Information Commission — (no dedicated state portal)
• Central Information Commission — cic.gov.in

Last reviewed: 23 April 2026 by the RTI Wiki editorial team.

Filing RTI in Puducherry — complete guide on rules, fees, and the process for 2026:

1. Step 1: Puducherry RTI Rules and fee structure. (a) the Puducherry Right to Information Rules, 2006 (framed under the RTI Act, 2005) govern the RTI process in the Union Territory of Puducherry, (b) the fee structure: (i) application fee: Rs 10 (payable by court-fee stamp, IPO, or cash — to the APIO/PIO), (ii) BPL category: free (BPL citizens — with BPL proof — can file RTI without any fee), (iii) additional fee: Rs 2 per page for photocopy, Rs 50 for CD, Rs 5 per hour for inspection (after the first free hour), © the application can be filed: (i) in person (at the office of the PIO/APIO — with the application — and the fee), (ii) by post (send the application — by registered post — with the fee), (iii) online (through the central RTI portal — rti.gov.in — for central government departments — and some UT departments).
2. Step 2: Key PIOs in Puducherry. (a) the Chief Secretary (is the senior-most officer — and coordinates the RTI implementation — across departments), (b) the key PIOs: (i) Home Department — the Home Secretary is the PIO (for police, law and order, and internal security), (ii) Health Department — the Health Secretary is the PIO (for hospitals, PHCs, and health schemes), (iii) Education Department — the Education Secretary is the PIO (for schools, colleges, and scholarships), (iv) Finance Department — the Finance Secretary is the PIO (for budget, taxes, pensions, and audits), (v) Public Works Department — the PWD Secretary is the PIO (for roads, drains, water supply, and public buildings), (vi) Revenue Department — the Revenue Secretary is the PIO (for land records, mutation, and certificates), © at the district/region level: the Regional Administrator (for Mahe, Yanam, and Karaikal — which are the enclaves of Puducherry — separated from the main territory) is the PIO — for region-level matters.
3. Step 3: How to file RTI in Puducherry. (a) Step 1 — identify the PIO (determine which department holds the information — and find the PIO — from the department's website — or the UT RTI manual), (b) Step 2 — write the application (in English or Tamil/Malayalam/Telugu — depending on the region — with the applicant's name, address, and the information sought — and the fee), © Step 3 — submit the application (in person — at the PIO's office — or by post — by registered post — with the fee), (d) Step 4 — track the application (the PIO must respond within 30 days — or 48 hours — for life and liberty), (e) Step 5 — first appeal (file with the FAA — within 30 days — of the PIO's response — or non-response), (f) Step 6 — second appeal (file with the Central Information Commission — in New Delhi — because Puducherry is a UT — and does not have a separate State Information Commission — the CIC hears the second appeals — for UTs without SICs).
4. Step 4: Puducherry-specific RTI issues. (a) no separate SIC (Puducherry does not have a separate State Information Commission — the second appeals are filed with the Central Information Commission — in New Delhi — which is geographically distant — and the citizens face difficulties — in attending the hearings), (b) multiple regions (Puducherry has four regions — Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam — separated by large distances — and the PIOs are in different locations — and the citizens face difficulties — in filing and tracking — across regions), © language diversity (the four regions speak different languages — Puducherry and Karaikal: Tamil, Mahe: Malayalam, Yanam: Telugu — and the PIOs may not accept applications — in all languages — creating confusion), (d) limited online access (the online RTI portal — is limited — and not all departments are covered — and the citizens have to file in person — or by post — for most departments), (e) limited awareness (the awareness about RTI — is low — in Puducherry — especially in the rural areas — and the enclaves — and the citizens do not use RTI — effectively).
5. Step 5: File RTI on key Puducherry issues. (a) civic amenities: file RTI with the municipality — asking for: (i) the water supply schedule, (ii) the garbage collection, (iii) the street light repairs, (iv) the drainage works, (v) the building approvals — and the OC, (b) health: file RTI with the Health Secretary or the hospital — asking for: (i) the bed availability, (ii) the medicine stock, (iii) the doctor attendance, (iv) the patient registers, (v) the complaint register, © education: file RTI with the Education Secretary — asking for: (i) the school infrastructure, (ii) the teacher vacancy, (iii) the scholarship disbursement, (iv) the midday meal records, (v) the admission records, (d) revenue: file RTI with the Revenue Secretary — asking for: (i) the land records, (ii) the mutation status, (iii) the encumbrance certificate, (iv) the patta transfer, (v) the survey records.
6. Step 6: Central Information Commission for Puducherry. (a) the CIC (Central Information Commission — in New Delhi) hears the second appeals — for Puducherry — because Puducherry is a UT — without a separate SIC, (b) the second appeal format (is available on the CIC website — cic.gov.in — and the appeal can be filed — by post — or online — through the CIC portal), © the hearing (the CIC may conduct the hearing — through video conferencing — for the convenience of the applicants — from Puducherry — and the orders are uploaded — on the CIC website), (d) the CIC has the power to impose penalties (on the PIO — under Section 20 — up to Rs 25,000 — for refusal — or delay — or incomplete information).
7. Step 7: Practical tips. (a) file in English (English is widely accepted — across all departments — and all regions — and avoids the language confusion), (b) use court-fee stamp (Rs 10 — which is the most widely accepted — in Puducherry), © file by registered post (to have proof of filing — and to track the delivery — especially for the enclave regions — Mahe, Yanam, and Karaikal), (d) file the second appeal with the CIC (not with a state commission — because Puducherry does not have a separate SIC — and the CIC is the second appellate authority), (e) request video conferencing (for the CIC hearing — to avoid travelling to New Delhi — and the CIC may accommodate — if requested in advance), (f) Example: A citizen in Karaikal filed RTI with the municipality — asking for the drinking water supply schedule — the PIO did not respond — the citizen filed a first appeal — the FAA directed the PIO to respond — the PIO provided the schedule — which showed that the water supply was irregular — and the citizen filed a complaint with the Lieutenant Governor's grievance cell — and the water supply was improved — within a month.

See Puducherry RTI and RTI Act Complete Guide.