How to File RTI in Maharashtra — online and postal guide

Last reviewed: 1 September 2026.

Step-by-step guide to filing an RTI application in Maharashtra — state portal, fee, SIC address, sample template and appeal path. Rs. 10 fee. 2026 edition.

Part of How to file RTI online in India — this page covers the Maharashtra state procedure.

• Portal: https://rtionline.maharashtra.gov.in
• Works for most Maharashtra state departments, public undertakings, and major urban local bodies.
• Fee is paid online through the portal's payment gateway.
• You get a unique Registration Number that you use for all follow-ups.

• Address the application to the Public Information Officer, [Name of Public Authority], [Full address].
• Send by Speed Post with Acknowledgement Due. Retain the receipt — it is your filing evidence.
• Enclose the fee in one of the accepted modes: online through the portal's payment gateway; cash with a proper receipt (in person); demand draft or bank cheque payable to the public authority (postal); court-fee stamp of Rs. 10 affixed on the application (postal).

• Application fee: Rs. 10 (BPL applicants: free, on production of a BPL card copy).
• Additional cost for copies: Rs. 2 per page (A4); Rs. 50 per floppy/diskette.
• Inspection of records: free for the first hour; Rs. 5 for each subsequent 15 minutes (Rule 4, Maharashtra RTI Rules 2026).
• Fee modes: online through the portal's payment gateway; cash with a proper receipt (in person); demand draft or bank cheque payable to the public authority (postal); court-fee stamp of Rs. 10 affixed on the application (postal).
• Appeal fees (2026 Rules): Rs. 20 for the First Appeal (to the public authority) and Rs. 20 for the Second Appeal (to the SIC) — cash, demand draft, bank cheque or a Rs. 20 court-fee stamp, attached with a copy of the order appealed against.

Governing rules: Maharashtra Right to Information Rules, 2026 — in force from 7 July 2026 (General Administration Department notification), superseding the 2005 Rules.

To,
The Public Information Officer,
[Name of Public Authority],
[Full Address, Maharashtra]
[PIN Code]

Subject: Request for information under Section 6(1) of the
Right to Information Act, 2005.

Sir / Madam,

I, [Full Name], resident of [Complete Address with PIN], a citizen of
India, request the following information / records under the RTI Act:

1. [Specific record, file number, or data you want — name the document]
2. [Date / period — anchor the timeframe]
3. [Identifier — your application number, account number, or similar]
4. Name and contact of the First Appellate Authority for this office.

I enclose Rs. 10 by way of [DD No. / Rs. 10 court-fee stamp / online payment ref.]
in favour of [Accounts Officer, concerned department].

Please send the information to the address below by Registered Post.

Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
Name:    __________________
Address: __________________
PIN:     __________________
Mobile:  __________________
Date:    __________________

Need a topic-specific template? Pick from the sample RTI library — FIR, admission, exam marks, ration card, pension, refund, and more.

1. Day 0 — PIO receives your RTI.
2. Day 0–5 — Transfer under §6(3) if the matter sits with another public authority; the 30-day clock restarts from the date of transfer.
3. Day 10–25 — Most routine requests are answered.
4. Day 30 — Statutory reply deadline. Silence = deemed refusal under §7(2).
5. Day 31 → Day 60 — First Appeal under §19(1) to the Appellate Authority designated by the public authority — typically an officer one rank above the PIO.
6. Day 75 → Day 165 — Second Appeal under §19(3) to Maharashtra SIC at Mumbai (with benches at Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Amravati, Nashik, Konkan).

For deadlines in detail, see First Appeal timelines and FAA appellate-review checklist.

• Maharashtra operates one of India's busiest state RTI portals. Both central and state departments accept online RTIs.
• For municipal corporations (BMC, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik), file directly to the municipal PIO; not all are integrated on the state portal.
• Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis route through the District Collectorate's RTI cell. * Under the 2026 Rules, one application must cover a single subject (generally up to 150 words) — the PIO will answer only the first subject and advise separate applications for the rest.
• Maharashtra records worth asking for: the 7/12 extract (satbara utara), property card and mutation entries (ferfar) from the Talathi or Revenue office; building-permission and occupancy-certificate status from the municipal corporation; a FIR copy and investigation status from the police; admission criteria and fee-hike approvals from schools and colleges; ration-card status and PDS stock registers from the Food and Civil Supplies Department.
• Marathi applications are fully valid — Section 6(1) of the RTI Act allows an application in the official language of the area; a translation is not required of the PIO.

• Name: Maharashtra State Information Commission (SIC)
• Address: 13th Floor, New Administrative Building, Mantralaya, Mumbai - 400032
• Website: sic.maharashtra.gov.in

For §19(3) Second Appeals, file directly to the Commission's Registry — postal or online where the Commission's portal allows.

• Filing at the wrong PIO — route via the concerned department, not the generic state grievance portal.
• Asking “why” questions. Ask for records, not answers — see the records-not-answers drafting guide.
• Missing the fee payment — even online filings fail if the payment is not completed.
• Skipping the application reference / identifier that lets the PIO locate your file.
• Drafting in English when the authority uses a regional language — use either, but be consistent.

• RTI case-law database
• How to file RTI online — national guide
• Why RTI gets rejected — drafting fix-it guide
• Ask for records, not answers
• Grounds for RTI rejection
• First Appeal timelines
• FAA appellate-review checklist
• Sample RTI applications
• RTI FAQ — 25 most-asked questions
• The RTI Playbook

• Right to Information Act, 2005 (as amended 2019, 2023)
• Maharashtra Right to Information Rules, 2026 — Gazette notification of 7 July 2026 (supersedes the 2005 Rules); text posted on sic.maharashtra.gov.in
• Maharashtra State Information Commission (SIC) — annual reports
• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 — §44(3), amending RTI §8(1)(j)