Module 05 — Appeal strategy + lawyer workflow

Often the FIRST APPEAL is more important than the original RTI. The FAA is a senior officer who has career incentive to avoid a CIC penalty — a strong First Appeal often gets the disclosure where the PIO refused.

Tactical first appeal: file even if the PIO partially complied — to push for the rest. Costs nothing (no fee for First Appeal). Adds a second lever.

Second Appeal is a longer game (3-12 months). Use only when:

1. The story can wait
2. The information is central to the story (not nice-to-have)
3. The PIO/FAA refusal is so weak that CIC will likely overturn (good odds for §8(1)(d)/(j) overreach)

A Second Appeal hearing also creates a public-interest record at the Commission — the order itself becomes citable.

Both are journalistic levers:

1. §20: PIO can be personally fined ₹250/day (per-month cap per CIC Shailesh Gandhi 19-Mar-2026). The fine itself is news.
2. §19(8)(b): applicant can claim compensation for loss caused by delay/refusal. Useful if the delay killed your story window.

Both must be claimed in the Second Appeal pleadings — don't add them later.

For PSU-related RTIs, defamation-risk RTIs, or those touching the judiciary:

1. 30-min brief with a media lawyer before filing the RTI is cheap insurance.
2. Lawyer's role: sanity-check phrasing for §8 vulnerability, advise on whether the story is publishable based on RTI alone, draft Second Appeal if needed.
3. Cost: ₹3,000-10,000 for a one-shot consult.

1. Lead with the finding, not the RTI process. “₹47 crore in unspent CSR funds at [PSU]” — not “Following an RTI by [reporter], it was revealed that…”
2. Cite the RTI in the second-or-third paragraph, with the date + PIO + ref no.
3. Reproduce the relevant excerpt as an inline quote or sidebar.
4. Link to the full PIO reply PDF at the bottom — readers and other journalists value sourcing.
5. Comment requests: include verbatim non-response or denial.

Quiz available from your course dashboard.

• ← Course overview
• Next: Journalists' RTI course - final certificate

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.