West Bengal RTI rules - 2026 citizen guide

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 May 2026 00:55:41 +0000

2026/05/05 12:41	current
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	+	{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(West Bengal RTI rules,WB RTI fee,WB Information Commission,Right to Information Rules West Bengal,RTI Kolkata)
	+	metatag-description=(West Bengal RTI Rules 2006 - fee, format, FAA + State Information Commission contact for RTI in WB. Updated 2026 with current rate card, online filing portal.)}}
	+
	+	====== West Bengal RTI rules - 2026 citizen guide ======
	+
	+	West Bengal applies the West Bengal Right to Information Rules, 2006 (made under §27 of the RTI Act, 2005) 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. Online filing is via the wbric.gov.in portal (limited departments); Speed Post (AD) is the universal fallback.
	+
	+	===== Quick fee schedule =====
	+
	+	^ Stage ^ Fee ^ Mode ^
	+	\| Application (§6) \| ₹10 \| IPO / court-fee / DD / online \|
	+	\| Per A4 photocopy \| ₹2 \| paid on collection \|
	+	\| Larger size copy \| actual cost \| paid on collection \|
	+	\| CD (electronic record) \| ₹50 per CD \| paid on collection \|
	+	\| Inspection of records \| free for first hour, ₹5 per 15 min after \| pay at office \|
	+	\| BPL applicant \| Zero \| attach BPL certificate \|
	+	\| First Appeal \| Zero \| - \|
	+	\| Second Appeal to WB SIC \| Zero \| - \|
	+
	+	===== Statutory framework =====
	+
	+	* Central: Right to Information Act, 2005.
	+	* WB-specific: West Bengal Right to Information Rules, 2006 (notified 13 March 2006). [[https://wbric.gov.in\|West Bengal State Information Commission portal]].
	+	* Online: wbric.gov.in (limited departments).
	+
	+	===== Where to file =====
	+
	+	* District-level: PIO at the Office of the District Magistrate / Sub-Divisional Officer.
	+	* State-level: PIO at the department secretariat, Nabanna, Howrah (state secretariat since 2013) or specific Bhavans in Kolkata.
	+	* First Appeal: Appellate Authority at the same office (one rung above PIO).
	+	* Second Appeal: West Bengal Information Commission, Bhabani Bhavan, 31, Belvedere Road, Alipore, Kolkata 700027. [[https://wbric.gov.in\|wbric.gov.in]].
	+
	+	===== Sample RTI letter for WB =====
	+
	+	Use our [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html\|AI RTI Drafter]] - auto-fills WB-specific fee paragraph + Bengali/English bilingual support.
	+
	+	===== Common mistakes filing in WB =====
	+
	+	* Bengali-only application - while Bengali is accepted, slower processing. Bilingual (Bengali + English) is fastest.
	+	* Wrong office for Nabanna-based departments - the entire state secretariat moved from Writers' Building to Nabanna in October 2013. Old addresses bounce back.
	+	* Court-fee stamp variant confusion - use the West Bengal Court Fees Act 1922 stamp, not the central one.
	+	* Sending to Kolkata Police HQ for FIR - that's a separate authority. See [[:guide:applicant:application:sample:start\|sample RTI for FIR]].
	+
	+	===== WB SIC - state of pendency =====
	+
	+	As per Anjali Bhardwaj v. UoI (2019) monitoring, the WB Information Commission has had a backlog of 15,000+ second appeals as of mid-2024 with a vacancy rate of 3 of 10 IC seats. Appointments restored in March 2025. Average second-appeal disposal time: 12-18 months. If your second appeal has been pending 18+ months, you can approach the Calcutta High Court under Article 226.
	+
	+	===== Citations and sources =====
	+
	+	* Right to Information Act, 2005 - [[:act\|full text]]
	+	* West Bengal RTI Rules, 2006 - notified 13 March 2006
	+	* [[https://wbric.gov.in\|WB SIC official portal]]
	+	* [[:cases\|RTI case-law database]]
	+
	+	===== Related on RTI Wiki =====
	+
	+	* [[:rules\|All-state RTI rules]]
	+	* [[:act\|RTI Act, 2005]]
	+	* [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html\|AI RTI Drafter]]
	+	* [[:rti-fees-by-state\|State-wise fee chart]]
	+
	+	//Last reviewed: 4 May 2026.//
	+
	+	{{tag>west-bengal wb-rti-rules-2006 wb-ric state-rti rti-fees kolkata nabanna 2026}}

2026/05/05 12:41	current
Line 1:	Line 1:
	+	{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(West Bengal RTI rules,WB RTI fee,WB Information Commission,Right to Information Rules West Bengal,RTI Kolkata)
	+	metatag-description=(West Bengal RTI Rules 2006 - fee, format, FAA + State Information Commission contact for RTI in WB. Updated 2026 with current rate card, online filing portal.)}}
	+
	+	====== West Bengal RTI rules - 2026 citizen guide ======
	+
	+	West Bengal applies the West Bengal Right to Information Rules, 2006 (made under §27 of the RTI Act, 2005) 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. Online filing is via the wbric.gov.in portal (limited departments); Speed Post (AD) is the universal fallback.
	+
	+	===== Quick fee schedule =====
	+
	+	^ Stage ^ Fee ^ Mode ^
	+	\| Application (§6) \| ₹10 \| IPO / court-fee / DD / online \|
	+	\| Per A4 photocopy \| ₹2 \| paid on collection \|
	+	\| Larger size copy \| actual cost \| paid on collection \|
	+	\| CD (electronic record) \| ₹50 per CD \| paid on collection \|
	+	\| Inspection of records \| free for first hour, ₹5 per 15 min after \| pay at office \|
	+	\| BPL applicant \| Zero \| attach BPL certificate \|
	+	\| First Appeal \| Zero \| - \|
	+	\| Second Appeal to WB SIC \| Zero \| - \|
	+
	+	===== Statutory framework =====
	+
	+	* Central: Right to Information Act, 2005.
	+	* WB-specific: West Bengal Right to Information Rules, 2006 (notified 13 March 2006). [[https://wbric.gov.in\|West Bengal State Information Commission portal]].
	+	* Online: wbric.gov.in (limited departments).
	+
	+	===== Where to file =====
	+
	+	* District-level: PIO at the Office of the District Magistrate / Sub-Divisional Officer.
	+	* State-level: PIO at the department secretariat, Nabanna, Howrah (state secretariat since 2013) or specific Bhavans in Kolkata.
	+	* First Appeal: Appellate Authority at the same office (one rung above PIO).
	+	* Second Appeal: West Bengal Information Commission, Bhabani Bhavan, 31, Belvedere Road, Alipore, Kolkata 700027. [[https://wbric.gov.in\|wbric.gov.in]].
	+
	+	===== Sample RTI letter for WB =====
	+
	+	Use our [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html\|AI RTI Drafter]] - auto-fills WB-specific fee paragraph + Bengali/English bilingual support.
	+
	+	===== Common mistakes filing in WB =====
	+
	+	* Bengali-only application - while Bengali is accepted, slower processing. Bilingual (Bengali + English) is fastest.
	+	* Wrong office for Nabanna-based departments - the entire state secretariat moved from Writers' Building to Nabanna in October 2013. Old addresses bounce back.
	+	* Court-fee stamp variant confusion - use the West Bengal Court Fees Act 1922 stamp, not the central one.
	+	* Sending to Kolkata Police HQ for FIR - that's a separate authority. See [[:guide:applicant:application:sample:start\|sample RTI for FIR]].
	+
	+	===== WB SIC - state of pendency =====
	+
	+	As per Anjali Bhardwaj v. UoI (2019) monitoring, the WB Information Commission has had a backlog of 15,000+ second appeals as of mid-2024 with a vacancy rate of 3 of 10 IC seats. Appointments restored in March 2025. Average second-appeal disposal time: 12-18 months. If your second appeal has been pending 18+ months, you can approach the Calcutta High Court under Article 226.
	+
	+	===== Citations and sources =====
	+
	+	* Right to Information Act, 2005 - [[:act\|full text]]
	+	* West Bengal RTI Rules, 2006 - notified 13 March 2006
	+	* [[https://wbric.gov.in\|WB SIC official portal]]
	+	* [[:cases\|RTI case-law database]]
	+
	+	===== Related on RTI Wiki =====
	+
	+	* [[:rules\|All-state RTI rules]]
	+	* [[:act\|RTI Act, 2005]]
	+	* [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html\|AI RTI Drafter]]
	+	* [[:rti-fees-by-state\|State-wise fee chart]]
	+
	+	//Last reviewed: 4 May 2026.//
	+
	+	{{tag>west-bengal wb-rti-rules-2006 wb-ric state-rti rti-fees kolkata nabanna 2026}}

Right to Information Wiki

West Bengal RTI rules - 2026 citizen guide