File RTI in Delhi — 2026 guide

Delhi has a unique RTI landscape — Central Government RTIs use rtionline.gov.in (Rs 10), Delhi Government RTIs can be filed via the NIC-built Delhi RTI portal (rtionline.delhi.gov.in, Rs 10), MCD/NDMC/DDA have separate procedures (Rs 10-50), and Delhi Police is §24-exempt (accessible only via the corruption / human-rights proviso). The Central Information Commission is itself at Delhi (Bhikaji Cama Place), and the Delhi State Information Commission handles NCT of Delhi government matters. Average response 25-35 days.

• Delhi RTI Online — https://rtionline.delhi.gov.in (unified for Delhi Government departments)
• DDA RTI — delhi-specific, via DDA website (offline preferred)
• MCD RTI — decentralised at each zone office
• Delhi SIC — https://dic.delhi.gov.in (Bhagwan Das Road, ITO)

• Location: Bhagwan Das Road, near ITO, New Delhi
• Website: https://dic.delhi.gov.in
• Second Appeal: within 90 days of FAA decision
• Avg disposal: 6-10 months (relatively quicker than many SICs)

The CIC itself is in Delhi, at August Kranti Bhavan, Bhikaji Cama Place. It hears Second Appeals against Central-Government FAA decisions — including those from Central departments located anywhere in India.

• Website: https://cic.gov.in
• File a Second Appeal online: https://cicappeal.nic.in

• Delhi Government / rtionline.delhi.gov.in: Rs 10 (online UPI/card/netbanking), Rs 10 court-fee stamp on paper
• MCD / NDMC / DDA: Rs 10-50 depending on body and type
• Central RTIs: Rs 10 on rtionline.gov.in
• Copy fees: Rs 2/A4 page (Central Rules); check local-body specifics
• Inspection: first hour free; Rs 5 per 15 min thereafter
• BPL exemption: full fee waiver

Delhi Police is notified in the Second Schedule of the RTI Act under §24 — broadly exempt from RTI.

Exceptions that still work:

• Allegations of corruption or human-rights violations — survive via §24 proviso, accessible with CIC approval
• Your own FIR or complaint's status — Delhi HC has held that a complainant has a right to know the status of their own case
• Charge-sheet once filed — becomes a court document, accessible through CPC certified-copies procedure (not RTI)

Template 1 — DDA housing-scheme allotment

Kindly provide the following information under the RTI Act, 2005:

1. Copy of the allotment file for [scheme name], draw held on [date],
   DDA, including my application form and acknowledgement.
2. Copies of all notings and approvals in the file.
3. Current status of possession / demand-cum-allotment letter / sale deed.
4. Copies of any representations filed.

Template 2 — MCD building-plan sanction

Kindly provide the following information under the RTI Act, 2005:

1. Complete copy of the building-plan sanction file for Plot No.
   [plot no.], Block [block], [colony / locality], MCD zone [zone].
2. Copies of technical scrutiny notings and departmental objections.
3. The final sanction / rejection order with reasons.
4. NOCs obtained from Fire / Environment / ASI (if applicable).

Template 3 — Delhi Government service records (your own)

Kindly provide the following information under the RTI Act, 2005:

1. Copy of my APAR / ACR for the assessment periods [years].
2. Copy of my transfer-posting orders from [date] to [date].
3. Copy of any vigilance / disciplinary notings in my service file.
4. Current pay-fixation order (if revised).

• “Information under §24 — Delhi Police” — check if allegations are of corruption or human rights. If yes, file via CIC with §24 proviso invocation.
• “§8(1)(j) personal information” — post-DPDP 2025, the framework is stricter. But information about public-authority action (DDA allotment, MCD sanction, transfer orders by name) is NOT personal.
• “Records with concerned Ministry/Department” — §6(3) transfer within 5 days.
• “Part of pending court matter” — §8(1)(b) applies only to information whose disclosure is expressly forbidden by a court order or would constitute contempt — not all matters in litigation.

• Bhagat Singh v. CIC — §8(1)(h) investigation standard
• Full Bench: CJI's office a public authority — 2009 (SC affirmed 2019)
• Arvind Kejriwal v. CPIO — compilation burden not a §8 ground
• CBI § 24 and proviso
• DDA housing records — Delhi HC 2019
• DL / vehicle records — §8(1)(j)

1. First Appeal to the FAA (one rank above PIO) within 30 days.
2. Second Appeal to the Delhi SIC (NCT Delhi matters) OR CIC (Central matters) within 90 days.
3. Writ petition to the Delhi High Court under Article 226 (HC at Sher Shah Road).

Q1: What's the Delhi Government RTI portal? https://rtionline.delhi.gov.in — unified for Delhi Government departments.

Q2: Can I file RTI online for DDA? DDA has its own portal (dda.gov.in); offline filing preferred for older-scheme records.

Q3: Is the CIC in Delhi the same as the Delhi SIC? No. CIC is the Central Information Commission (federal, all-India Central-Government appeals). Delhi SIC handles appeals against Delhi Government (NCT) PIOs.

Q4: Delhi Police is hard to RTI — why? §24 notification; RTI survives only for corruption / human-rights allegations via the proviso.

Q5: Is RTI fee in Delhi Rs 10 or Rs 50? Rs 10 for Delhi Government. Rs 10 for Central. Rs 10-50 for local bodies (MCD, NDMC) — check the specific body's rules.

Q6: What's the typical response time? 25-35 days for Delhi Government; 30-40 for Central; 40+ for MCD/DDA.

• DPDP 2025 effect on §8(1)(j) — Delhi HC guidance (landmark) — Post-DPDP 2025: §8(1)(j) exempts personal info absolutely; override by §8(2), not the old proviso.
• Arvind Kejriwal v. CPIO (landmark) — Compilation burden is not a §8 ground; PIO must provide information held in records.
• Secretary General, Supreme Court of India v. Subhash Chandra Agarwal (landmark) — CJI's office is a public authority; judges' assets accessible subject to §8(1)(j) balancing.
• Bhagat Singh v. CIC (landmark) — §8(1)(h) is not a blanket bar for police files; requires demonstrable prejudice to actual ongoing investigation.
• Electoral roll revisions — Delhi HC 2025 — Electoral-roll governance is transparent; voter privacy is protected.
• PhD Theses Public under RTI — Delhi HC (2024) — PhD theses are public records under RTI; fiduciary argument fails.
• Faceless assessment records — Delhi HC 2024 — System-level tax-assessment transparency is compatible with officer anonymity.
• DGCA pilot licence investigations — Delhi HC 2024 — Aviation safety investigations are §8(1)(h) during pendency, but §11 process is non-negotiable.

Browse the full case-law database — 362 curated rulings and filter by court / section / keyword.

• Pan-India RTI filing
• Maharashtra · Karnataka · Tamil Nadu
• RTI fees by State
• State portal directory
• PIO RTI Reply Guide

• Delhi RTI Online: https://rtionline.delhi.gov.in
• Delhi SIC: https://dic.delhi.gov.in
• CIC: https://cic.gov.in
• CIC Second Appeal online: https://cicappeal.nic.in

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.

Filing RTI in Delhi has a specific procedure. Here is the complete 2026 guide:

1. Step 1: Delhi RTI rules. (a) Delhi follows the Delhi RTI Rules, 2001 (the fee is Rs 10 for application, Rs 2 per page for photocopy), (b) the application fee can be paid by: (i) court fee stamp, (ii) Indian Postal Order (IPO), (iii) cash (at the public authority's counter), (iv) online (via the Delhi RTI portal), © BPL applicants are exempt from the fee (must submit a copy of the BPL certificate), (d) the PIO must respond within 30 days (48 hours for life and liberty).
2. Step 2: How to file online. (a) visit the Delhi RTI portal (rtionline.gov.in → select “Delhi”), (b) select the public authority (Delhi government departments, municipal corporations, etc.), © fill in the application details (name, address, the information sought), (d) pay the fee online (Rs 10 — via net banking, UPI, or debit/credit card), (e) the portal generates a registration number (keep this for tracking), (f) the PIO receives the application electronically (the 30-day clock starts immediately).
3. Step 3: How to file offline. (a) write the application (in English or Hindi — on plain paper, no specified format), (b) address it to the PIO of the concerned department (e.g., “PIO, Department of Revenue, Government of NCT of Delhi”), © attach the fee (court fee stamp of Rs 10 or IPO of Rs 10), (d) submit by: (i) hand (at the department's counter — get a receiving), (ii) post (registered post with acknowledgment due — keep the acknowledgment), (e) keep a copy of the application and the proof of submission.
4. Step 4: Delhi government departments — PIO list. (a) the PIO list for Delhi government departments is available at delhi.gov.in → “RTI” → “List of PIOs”, (b) key departments and their PIOs: (i) Revenue Department (land records, mutation, income certificate), (ii) Education Department (school admission, transfer certificate, scholarship), (iii) Health Department (hospital services, birth/death certificate), (iv) Transport Department (driving licence, vehicle registration), (v) Municipal Corporation (property tax, building permission, trade licence), © if the PIO is not known: address the application to “PIO, [Department Name], Government of NCT of Delhi” (the department will route it to the correct PIO).
5. Step 5: First Appeal. (a) if the PIO does not respond within 30 days (or 48 hours for life and liberty): file First Appeal, (b) the First Appellate Authority (FAA) is the officer senior to the PIO (check the department's RTI page for the FAA designation), © file within 30 days of the PIO's response deadline (or the actual response date if the PIO responded late), (d) the FAA must respond within 30 days (extendable by 15 days — the FAA must record reasons for the extension), (e) file online via the Delhi RTI portal or offline (with a fee of Rs 10 — same as the application).
6. Step 6: Second Appeal. (a) if the FAA does not respond or upholds the PIO's decision: file Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC), (b) file within 90 days of the FAA's response deadline (or actual response date), © the appeal is filed at cic.gov.in (online) or by post (CIC, August Kranti Bhavan, Bhikaji Cama Place, New Delhi), (d) the CIC conducts a hearing (the applicant can attend in person or via video conference), (e) the CIC can: (i) order disclosure of information, (ii) penalise the PIO (Rs 250 per day — up to Rs 25,000), (iii) recommend disciplinary action against the PIO.
7. Step 7: Common Delhi-specific issues. (a) the application is transferred between departments (Delhi has multiple authorities — the Delhi government, the Centre, and the Municipal Corporation — the PIO must transfer within 5 days if the application belongs to another authority), (b) the PIO says “the file is not available” (file RTI with the Public Records Office — the file may be archived), © the PIO says “the information is on the website” (the PIO must provide the specific URL — a generic “check the website” is not sufficient).

See Find PIO and Section 20 Penalty.