Module 01 — What RTI is, and what it isn't

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 20:07:45 +0000

2026/05/05 08:51	current
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	+	{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(citizen crash course module 01, rti module 01, what rti is, and what it isn't)&metatag-description=(Citizen Crash Course in RTI — Module 01: What RTI is, and what it isn't. By the end of this module, you can decide in 30 seconds whether an RTI fits your problem.)}}
	+
	+	====== Module 01 — What RTI is, and what it isn't ======
	+
	+	{{ :social:auto:citizen-crash-module-01.png?direct&1200 \|Citizen Crash Course Module 01}}
	+
	+	<WRAP center round info 95%>
	+	Goal: By the end of this module, you can decide in 30 seconds whether an RTI fits your problem.
	+	</WRAP>
	+
	+	===== A 1-page primer on the RTI Act, 2005 =====
	+
	+	Passed by Parliament in October 2005. Repealed and replaced the older Freedom of Information Act, 2002. Comes into force across India (except Jammu & Kashmir until 2019; now also covered).
	+
	+	The Act has one big idea: //a citizen can ask any public authority for any record it holds, and the authority has 30 days to give it.// 10 specific exemptions exist, but the default is disclosure.
	+
	+	The Act has 6 chapters and 31 sections. As a citizen, you'll mostly use §3, §6, §7, §8, §10, §19, §20.
	+
	+	===== Who is a public authority? (§2(h)) =====
	+
	+	Four kinds:
	+	- Body established by/under the Constitution (e.g. Supreme Court, Election Commission)
	+	- Body established by Parliament/State Act (e.g. RBI, SEBI, AIIMS)
	+	- Body owned, controlled, or substantially financed by Government (PSUs like LIC, BEL)
	+	- NGOs substantially financed by Government
	+
	+	So: police, panchayats, municipal corporations, schools/colleges (govt + aided), hospitals (govt), banks (PSU + RBI), railways, defence (subject to §24), passports, IT, GST — all public authorities.
	+
	+	===== What can you ask for? (§2(f)) =====
	+
	+	Information — defined widely: "//any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form//."
	+
	+	Key words: records, documents, data. These are things that already exist at the public authority.
	+
	+	What you cannot ask for: future opinions, hypotheticals, why decisions were made (only what is recorded), or 'how should we…' questions.
	+
	+	===== The 4 things every RTI needs =====
	+
	+	- PIO — addressed to the Public Information Officer of the right department.
	+	- Fee — usually ₹10 by Indian Postal Order (BPL exempt).
	+	- Signature — your handwritten signature with name + address + phone.
	+	- Citizenship — "I am a citizen of India" stated explicitly. Only Indian citizens can file under §3.
	+
	+	===== Myths busted =====
	+
	+	* "You need a lawyer." False. Citizens were the design target. AI Drafter generates a legally-correct application in 60 seconds.
	+	* "You need to state a reason." False. §6(2) explicitly forbids the PIO from asking why you want the information.
	+	* "It costs a lot." False. ₹10 statutory fee. ₹50 in Tamil Nadu/Punjab/Haryana. ₹20 in Gujarat. BPL applicants pay ₹0.
	+	* "Civil servants protected from RTI." False. Service records are disclosable to the extent they form 'public activity' (Deshpande boundary).
	+	* "PIO can refuse without reason." False — that's a §7(8)(i) violation; First Appeal will set it aside.
	+
	+	===== ✅ Quiz =====
	+
	+	10 questions, 70% to pass. Take it from your [[:courses:citizen-crash:app\|course dashboard]].
	+
	+	===== Next =====
	+
	+	* [[:courses:citizen-crash:start\|← Course overview]]
	+	* Next module: [[:courses:citizen-crash:module-02]]
	+
	+	//Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.//
	+
	+	{{tag>course citizen-crash rti module-01}}

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Module 01 — What RTI is, and what it isn't