How to File RTI in Maharashtra — Online & Postal Guide (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 SBI e-Pay.
• 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 via SBI e-Pay (portal); IPO / DD in favour of 'Accounts Officer, [Concerned Department]' (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/CD.
• Inspection of records: free for the first hour; Rs. 5 for each subsequent 15 minutes (standard state rule).
• Fee modes: online via SBI e-Pay (portal); IPO / DD in favour of 'Accounts Officer, [Concerned Department]' (postal); court-fee stamp of Rs. 10 affixed on the application (postal).

Governing rules: Maharashtra Right to Information Rules, 2005 (as amended).

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 [IPO No. / DD No. / 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 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 central portal.
• Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis route through the District Collectorate's RTI cell.
• Marathi applications are fully valid under Rule 3; a translation is not required of the PIO.

• Name: Maharashtra State Information Commission (SIC)
• Address: 13th Floor, New Administrative Building, Mantralaya Annex, 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.

• Municipal property-tax records — Bombay HC 2024 — Municipal revenue aggregates are open; individual tax bills are §11-gated.
• Cooperative bank fraud investigation — Bombay HC — Cooperative bank fraud investigation: pending-phase §8(1)(h); closed-investigation reports disclosable to depositors.
• BMC slum-redevelopment records — Bombay HC — SRA slum-redevelopment records: eligibility lists + allotment orders = §4(1)(b) proactive disclosure.
• NGO FCRA-compliance scrutiny — Bombay HC — FCRA-compliance records with MHA: §4(1)(b) disclosure (registration, cancellation, aggregate donor data).
• Corporator funds utilisation — Maharashtra SIC — Corporator / councillor fund utilisation is proactive-disclosure material under §4(1)(b).
• Aided private schools under RTI — Bombay HC — Aided private schools (salary-grant recipients) are public authorities under §2(h).
• RTI coverage of Medical Council — Bombay HC — Statutory professional councils are public authorities under §2(h); must comply with RTI Act.
• §24 proviso — corruption complaint — Bombay HC — §24 exemption does NOT apply to corruption / human-rights complaints — proviso forces disclosure path.

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

• 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

• Right to Information Act, 2005 (as amended 2019, 2023)
• Maharashtra Right to Information Rules, 2005 (as amended)
• Maharashtra State Information Commission (SIC) — annual reports
• Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 — §44(3), amending RTI §8(1)(j)

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.

Filing RTI in Maharashtra — complete guide on rules, fees, and the online portal for 2026:

1. Step 1: Maharashtra RTI rules. (a) Maharashtra has its own RTI Rules (the Maharashtra Right to Information Rules, 2005 — notified under the Central RTI Act, 2005 — which apply to all public authorities in Maharashtra — state government departments, municipalities, Zilla Parishads, police, courts, and public sector undertakings), (b) the fee is Rs 10 (payable by court-fee stamp — or Indian Postal Order — or cash — at the PIO's office — or online through the Maharashtra RTI portal), © the application can be in Marathi, Hindi, or English (the PIO must accept applications in any of these languages — under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act), (d) the PIO must respond within 30 days (48 hours if the information concerns life or liberty — under Section 7(1)), (e) the first appeal is filed with the First Appellate Authority (FAA — designated by the public authority — within 30 days of the PIO's response — or non-response), (f) the second appeal is filed with the Maharashtra State Information Commission (located in Mumbai — with regional offices in Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Amravati, Nashik, Konkan, Kolhapur, Latur, Nanded, Chandrapur — within 90 days of the FAA's order — or non-response).
2. Step 2: Online portal. (a) the Maharashtra government has an online RTI portal (aaplesarkar.maharashtra.gov.in — the Aaple Sarkar portal — which has an RTI module — the citizen can file RTI online — to any state government department), (b) the process: (i) register on the portal (with mobile number and email — OTP verification), (ii) select the department (and the sub-department — and the PIO), (iii) write the RTI application (in the text box — or upload a PDF), (iv) pay the fee (Rs 10 — online — through net banking, UPI, or credit/debit card), (v) submit — and get a registration number (which can be used to track the status), © the online portal is available for most state government departments (but not for central government departments in Maharashtra — for central departments, use rtionline.gov.in), (d) the PIO's response is sent electronically (to the registered email — and can also be viewed on the portal — with the registration number).
3. Step 3: How to file offline. (a) write the application (on plain paper — in Marathi, Hindi, or English — with the applicant's name, address, and the information sought — and the fee — court-fee stamp of Rs 10), (b) submit to the PIO (by hand — at the PIO's office — and get a receiving — or by registered post — with the court-fee stamp), © the PIO must respond within 30 days (if submitted by hand — or within 35 days if submitted by post — the 30-day period starts from the date of receipt by the PIO), (d) if the PIO does not respond: file a first appeal (with the FAA — within 30 days of the non-response — i.e., within 60 days of filing the RTI), (e) if the FAA does not respond: file a second appeal (with the Maharashtra State Information Commission — within 90 days of the FAA's non-response — i.e., within 120 days of filing the first appeal).
4. Step 4: Common issues in Maharashtra. (a) PIO not designated (many departments — especially at the Taluka and Village level — have not designated PIOs — or the PIOs are additional charge — and do not respond), (b) court-fee stamp not available (the court-fee stamp of Rs 10 is not easily available — especially in rural areas — the post office may not have it — and the citizen has to go to the court or the treasury to get it), © online portal issues (the Aaple Sarkar portal is sometimes down — or the payment fails — or the PIO is not listed — and the citizen has to file offline), (d) Marathi applications rejected (some PIOs reject Marathi applications — claiming they cannot read Marathi — which is illegal — under Section 6(1) — the PIO must accept applications in the official language), (e) the State Information Commission is slow (the Maharashtra SIC has a huge backlog — with thousands of pending second appeals — and the appeals take 2-5 years — the SIC has limited commissioners and infrastructure), (f) municipal corporations (the BMC, PMC, NMC — and other municipal corporations — have their own PIOs — and the RTI process is separate — the citizen must file with the municipal PIO — not the state department).
5. Step 5: File RTI on Maharashtra-specific issues. (a) land records: ask the Talathi (or the Revenue Department) for: (i) the 7/12 extract (satbara utara — of [survey number] — village [name] — for the year [year]), (ii) the property card (of [survey number] — village [name]), (iii) the mutation entries (ferfar — of [survey number] — from [date] to [date]), (b) civic issues: ask the BMC/municipal corporation for: (i) the status of [complaint number] (filed on [date] — for [issue] — the action taken — and the timeline), (ii) the building permission (of [building] — the approved plan — and the OC status), © police: ask the police for: (i) the FIR copy (of FIR number [number] — at [police station]), (ii) the status of the investigation (of FIR number [number] — the charge sheet — and the trial status), (d) education: ask the school/college for: (i) the admission criteria (and the number of seats — and the list of admitted students), (ii) the fee structure (and the fee hike approval — from the Fee Regulatory Authority), (e) ration card: ask the Food and Civil Supplies Department for: (i) the ration card status (application number [number] — the current status — and the reason for delay), (ii) the PDS supply (at FPS [number] — for the month [month] — the stock position and the distribution).
6. Step 6: Maharashtra State Information Commission. (a) the Commission is located in Mumbai (at the New Administrative Building, Mantralaya, Mumbai — with regional offices in Pune, Nagpur, etc.), (b) the second appeal is filed with the Commission (in writing — with the RTI application, the PIO's response, the first appeal, the FAA's order — and the fee — if any), © the Commission can: (i) order the PIO to provide the information (within a specified timeline), (ii) impose a penalty (Rs 250 per day — up to Rs 25,000 — under Section 20(1)), (iii) recommend disciplinary action (against the PIO — under Section 20(2)), (iv) order compensation (to the appellant — under Section 19(8)(b)), (d) the Commission's orders are available on the website (maharashtrascic.in — or mahascic.in — for reference — and can be cited in subsequent cases), (e) the Commission conducts hearings (in person — and through video conferencing — and the appellant can attend — and present the case — without a lawyer).
7. Step 7: Practical tips. (a) use the online portal (aaplesarkar.maharashtra.gov.in — for faster filing — and tracking — and electronic records), (b) file in Marathi (if the records are in Marathi — e.g., land records — the PIO cannot reject on language grounds — file in Marathi — and demand the response in Marathi), © be specific (the PIOs in Maharashtra — especially in rural areas — may not be trained — be specific — and avoid vague queries — which can be rejected), (d) use the BMC/municipal RTI (for civic issues — file with the municipal PIO — not the state department — the municipal corporation has its own PIO and FAA), (e) follow up (the PIOs may not respond — follow up with the FAA — and the Commission — and use RTI to track the status), (f) Example: A citizen filed RTI with the Talathi — asking for the 7/12 extract — the Talathi did not respond — the citizen filed a first appeal — the FAA ordered the Talathi to respond — the Talathi provided the 7/12 extract — showing that the land was wrongly mutated — the citizen used the RTI reply to correct the mutation — and to save his land from a fraudulent transfer.

See RTI Maharashtra and Find PIO.