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+{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(rti sikkim, how to file rti sikkim, sikkim state information commission, rti application sikkim, sikkim rti fee)
+metatag-description=(How to file RTI in Sikkim: Rs 10 fee by post, the PIO route in Gangtok, the languages accepted, and the appeal path to the State Information Commission.)}}
+====== How to File RTI in Sikkim — the postal guide ======
+{{ :social:auto:file-rti-in-sikkim.png?direct&1200 |How to File RTI in Sikkim — RTI Wiki}}
+<WRAP center round info 95%>
+**Quick Reply:** Sikkim runs RTI **on paper**: **₹10 fee**, **by post** to the PIO of the department holding the record (there is no state online portal), in **Nepali, Bhutia, Lepcha or English**. Reply due in **30 days**; first appeal to the department's FAA; second appeal to the **Sikkim State Information Commission, Tashiling Secretariat, Gangtok**. Central offices in Sikkim (posts, income tax) still file online at rtionline.gov.in.
+</WRAP>
+===== Step 1 — Find the PIO =====
+  * Identify the **department holding the record**: Revenue for land and certificates, Home/police for verification records, Horticulture for the organic mission, Tourism for tourism records, Health, Education, Urban Development for municipal matters.
+  * Address the application to "The State Public Information Officer, <Department>, Government of Sikkim, Gangtok" — or the district officer for district records.
+  * Not sure which office? Ask any PIO in writing; a misdirected application must be **transferred within 5 days** (§6(3)).
+===== Step 2 — Write the application =====
+  * Plain paper, **Nepali/Bhutia/Lepcha/English** all lawful (§6(1)).
+  * Your name, full postal address, the information sought as **numbered, record-pointing queries** ("certified copy of the register entry for…" not "why").
+  * No reasons required (§6(2)). One subject per application.
+  * Drafting help: [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html|AI RTI Drafter]] or [[:templates:first-rti|the first-RTI template]].
+===== Step 3 — Attach ₹10 and post it =====
+  * **₹10** by Indian Postal Order (payable to the drawing officer), demand draft, or court-fee stamps as the office accepts — Sikkim files **by post**; keep the IPO counterfoil.
+  * **Speed Post**, preserve the POD — the 30-day clock runs from **delivery to the PIO**.
+  * **BPL applicants file free** on a certificate copy (§7(5)).
+  * Central public authorities in Sikkim: [[https://rtionline.gov.in|rtionline.gov.in]] — different route, same ₹10.
+===== Step 4 — The clocks =====
+  * **Day 0–30** — reply due (§7(1)); **48 hours** where life or liberty is involved.
+  * **Day 31+** — silence or a bad reply: **first appeal** to the FAA of the same department (§19(1)), free, within a safe 30 days. Detail: [[:faa-first-appeal-timelines|First Appeal timelines]] · [[:faa-appellate-review-checklist|FAA appellate-review checklist]].
+  * **FAA fails** — **second appeal** to the Sikkim State Information Commission within 90 days of the FAA order (§19(3)); a §18 complaint lies directly for refusal-to-accept or fee misuse.
+===== Sikkim-specific notes =====
+  * **Article 371F**: Sikkim's special constitutional position shapes some service records (Sikkim Subjects, old laws continuation) — frame those queries by the record's actual name.
+  * **Small-state advantage**: departments are concentrated in Gangtok; postal RTI moves reasonably fast when addressed precisely.
+  * **Languages:** Nepali is the link language of administration; Bhutia and Lepcha work in the offices serving those communities; English is universally accepted.
+===== Common mistakes =====
+  * Filing at a generic grievance portal instead of the **PIO** — the RTI clock needs the PIO.
+  * Asking "why" — **ask for records, not answers** ([[:blog:how-to-write-rti-application|the drafting guide]]).
+  * Forgetting the ₹10 IPO — the application stays "defective" and the clock never starts.
+  * Omitting the file/register identifier the PIO needs to locate the record.
+===== FAQs =====
+==== Is there any online filing in Sikkim? ====
+For state authorities, postal is the working route (no state portal). For central offices in Sikkim, use rtionline.gov.in.
+==== Do appeals cost anything? ====
+The central and most state regimes charge no appeal fee; confirm against the Sikkim rules' current text with the SIC when filing a second appeal.
+==== Where is the State Information Commission? ====
+Tashiling Secretariat, Gangtok — 737101. Second appeals go there in writing, with copies of application, reply and first-appeal order.
+==== Can I inspect files instead of copies? ====
+Yes — §2(j) includes inspection; ask for a date for inspection and take your own extracts (hourly fees may apply per rules).
+===== Related reading =====
+  * [[:file-rti-online-india|How to file RTI online — national guide]]
+  * [[:rules:sikkim|Sikkim RTI rules page]]
+  * [[:rti-fees-by-state|RTI fees in every state]]
+  * [[:why-rti-gets-rejected|Why RTI gets rejected]]
+  * [[:explanations:grounds-for-rejection|Grounds for RTI rejection]]
+  * [[:guide:applicant:application:sample:start|Sample RTI applications]]
+  * [[:faq|RTI FAQ — 25 most-asked questions]]
+  * [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/book|The RTI Playbook book]]
+===== Sources =====
+  * Right to Information Act, 2005 (as amended).
+  * Sikkim Right to Information Rules; Sikkim State Information Commission, Tashiling Secretariat, Gangtok.
+  * Fee and portal status per the [[:rti-fees-by-state|state fee hub]] verification of 26 August 2026: Rs 10, postal only.
+//Last reviewed on: 27 August 2026. Rebuilt as a complete postal guide (the old page opened mid-structure with orphaned appeal bullets); fee and postal-only status aligned to the verified hub; Article 371F and language notes preserved.//
+{{tag>rti state-procedure file-rti-in-sikkim postal}}