How to use RTI Wiki — the complete tour
Quick Reply: RTI Wiki is a citizen-built, free resource for India's Right to Information Act. Start at the how-to-file guide if you have a request in mind; use the AI RTI Drafter to write it; everything else on the site hangs off five hubs — guides, tools, courses, fees and the RTI Playbook book. Nothing needs a login except course exams and downloads.
This page is the map. It says what exists, where it lives, and which piece to reach for depending on where you are in the life of a request — thinking about filing, waiting on a reply, or stuck in appeals.
If you are about to file
- How to file an RTI in India — the pillar guide: deciding your questions, choosing the public authority, fee, filing and the 30-day clock.
- How to fill an RTI application form — clause-by-clause, with a copy-ready format.
- AI RTI Drafter — describe the problem in plain language; get a numbered, section-cited application you can print or file online.
- The 25-question FAQ — the fastest orientation on the site.
If you are waiting, or the reply disappointed you
- Appeal timelines — the 30-day / 48-hour clocks, the deemed-refusal day, and every appeal window in one table.
- First Appeal Generator — drafts the §19(1) appeal from your facts.
- Why RTIs get rejected and the §8/§9 grounds explained — read the reason your reply gave, here, before appealing.
- Forms — penalty petitions, second-appeal formats, checklists.
The reference shelves
- The RTI Act, section by section — every section with citizen-side notes, plus translations in Indian languages.
- Fees in every state — the ₹10/₹20 map with payment modes per state.
- State portal directory — where to file online in each state.
- Helplines — grievance lines that are not RTI but often faster.
- Case law — the judgments that shape how the Act works in practice.
Courses, CPD and the Playbook
- Free certified courses — the Citizen Crash Course, RTI for Journalists, RTI for Activists and NGOs, and more; each ends in an exam with a verifiable certificate.
- PIO/FAA CPD course — for officers; also available in the offline lesson viewer.
- The RTI Playbook — the complete method in one book, free to read online: strategy, drafting, appeals, and what to do with the answers.
- Practical Guides — task-first guides (marksheets, pensions, property records…) organised by what you're trying to get.
Hindi and other languages
A growing Hindi section mirrors the core guides: हिंदी होम, RTI ऑनलाइन कैसे दाखिल करें, 25 सवाल, क्यों RTI अस्वीकार होती है.
Your first fifteen minutes, concretely
One path, start to finish. Meera's passport application has sat for four months and the portal only says “under process”. Minute 1: she reads the how-to-file guide and confirms the Regional Passport Office is a public authority. Minute 5: she opens the AI RTI Drafter, types “passport pending 4 months, file number …”, and gets a numbered application citing §6(1) and §7(1). Minute 10: she files it on rtionline.gov.in with the ₹10 fee. Minute 15: she bookmarks the appeal-timelines table — if day 30 passes silently, the First Appeal Generator is one click away. That is the whole machinery of this site: understand, draft, file, enforce.
Explore everything
The full page index of the wiki, generated live:
FAQs
Do I need an account to read anything?
No. Reading is entirely open. Accounts exist for course exams and certificates, and for the downloads library.
Is any of this official?
The site is an independent citizen project. Statutory text, judgments and government circulars are quoted with sources; the guidance around them is ours.
Can I copy the templates?
Yes — templates and formats are meant to be copied into your applications.
Something is out of date — what do I do?
Every page carries a “last reviewed” line; the wiki is continuously re-verified and corrections are made as rules change.
Last reviewed: 27 August 2026.
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