File RTI in Tamil Nadu — 2026 guide

Tamil Nadu has NO application fee for RTI — a unique advantage among Indian states. State RTIs are filed in person or by post to the department concerned; accepted in Tamil, Hindi or English under §4(3). The Tamil Nadu State Information Commission (TNSIC) sits at Chennai, with regional support at Madurai. Average response time 25-40 days. Central Government RTIs use rtionline.gov.in with the standard Rs 10 fee.

Tamil Nadu is one of four Indian states with zero RTI application fee (the others: Manipur, Sikkim, some circumstances in Meghalaya). Only copy fees of Rs 2 per A4 page apply if copies are requested; inspection of records is free for the first hour.

Central Government RTIs filed in Tamil Nadu still use rtionline.gov.in with the standard Rs 10 Central fee.

• Main bench: Kamarajar Salai, Chennai-600009
• Website: https://cic.gov.in/links-to-state-information-commissions (Tamil / English)
• Second Appeal: by post or in person within 90 days of FAA decision

• Tamil filing: under §4(3) and state policy, Tamil-language RTIs are fully accepted.
• In-person filing: most State departments still prefer in-person submission with stamped acknowledgement; post is also valid.
• Department-specific portals: some TN departments (Revenue, Education) have online submission forms; these are convenience layers — paper filing remains valid.
• GCC online: Greater Chennai Corporation has an online RTI form for municipal matters.
• Tamil Nadu e-Sevai: peripheral tracking for some department RTIs.

Template 1 — Patta transfer / chitta records (Revenue Department)

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

1. Copy of the patta transfer application for Survey No. [SF No.],
   [Village], [Taluk], [District], dated [date].
2. Copy of the chitta / adangal entries for the said survey number
   for the years [range].
3. Current status of the transfer — pending, approved, rejected.
4. Copy of the Tahsildar's order if passed.

Template 2 — GCC property-tax records

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

1. Copy of the property-tax assessment for Assessment No.
   [AN], Ward [ward no.], Greater Chennai Corporation, for
   the years [range].
2. Copies of any revision / correction notices issued.
3. Current dues and payment history.
4. Copy of the mutation / name-change application if filed.

Template 3 — Education Department — teacher posting

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

1. Copy of the posting / transfer order of [designation, name or
   "any teacher"] at [School name], [Block], [District], dated [date].
2. Criteria / transfer policy applied.
3. Statement of teacher transfers in [District] for the academic
   year [year] by cadre.
4. Vacancy position in the said school by subject.

• “Not a citizen” — you are; §3 of the RTI Act applies. Your Indian voter card or Aadhaar (if offered) is proof of citizenship.
• “Use e-Sevai portal” — e-Sevai is optional; paper RTI is a statutory right. Ask the PIO to cite which provision mandates portal filing.
• “Records with another department” — §6(3) requires transfer within 5 days; demand the transfer letter.
• “§8(1)(j) personal information” — post-DPDP 2025, check if the information truly concerns another individual. Public-authority action records are not personal.

• Public servants' asset disclosure — Madras HC 2024 — post-Deshpande
• §6(2) no-motive rule — Madras HC 2013
• §20 penalty — Madras HC 2020 — specific mala fide required
• Municipal works — TN SIC 2021 — §4 works register disclosure
• Right to be heard at FAA / Commission — Madras HC 2020

Q1: Is RTI truly free in Tamil Nadu? Yes — zero application fee. Only copy fees (Rs 2/page) and inspection fees (beyond first hour) apply.

Q2: Can I file RTI in Tamil? Yes. §4(3) permits local-language filing; Tamil is fully accepted.

Q3: How long does an RTI reply take in Tamil Nadu? 25-40 days for most matters; 30-50 days for GCC and Home Department.

Q4: Can an NRI file RTI? Only Indian citizens under §3. OCI card-holders don't have direct standing.

Q5: Where is Tamil Nadu SIC? Chennai — Kamarajar Salai. Website: CIC State IC directory.

Q6: Is there an online RTI portal for the Tamil Nadu government? No single unified portal. Individual departments (Revenue e-Sevai, GCC online) offer their own forms. Paper RTI to the department is the statutorily valid path everywhere.

• Public Servants' Assets Disclosure — Madras HC 2024 — Public-servant asset lists protected under §8(1)(j); public interest must be specifically pleaded.
• BARC TRP and DD audience data — Madras HC — Public-broadcaster audience data OK; BARC TRP methodology §8(1)(d); aggregate ratings disclosable.
• Pension sanction delay — Madras HC — Pension sanction delay: FAA may direct release + cite PIO §20 exposure; structural remedy under §19(8)(a).
• Municipal works records — Tamil Nadu SIC — Municipal works register + tender + completion records: §4(1)(b) proactive disclosure.
• §20 penalty — Madras HC clarifications — §20 penalty requires specific mala-fide or persistent-negligence finding; formal 30-day delay alone is insufficient.
• Applicant's right to be heard at FAA / Commission — Madras HC — Applicant's right to be heard at FAA / IC — adverse orders passed ex parte are liable to be set aside.
• Defying Commission order — Madras HC — Willful defiance of Commission direction is contempt — actionable via Art.215 HC jurisdiction.
• Section 20 penalty on PIO for deliberate delay — Madras HC 2020 — Deliberate PIO delay without recorded reasonable cause attracts the full §20(1) penalty.

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

• State-wise RTI Guide India 2026 — Rules, Fees, Commissions, Portals — discovered via internal-link audit 2026-04-24

• Pan-India: File RTI online
• File RTI in Maharashtra
• File RTI in Karnataka
• RTI fees by State — full table

• Tamil Nadu SIC: https://cic.gov.in/links-to-state-information-commissions
• Tamil Nadu e-Sevai: https://tnesevai.tn.gov.in
• Greater Chennai Corporation: https://chennaicorporation.gov.in

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.

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

1. Step 1: Tamil Nadu RTI rules. (a) Tamil Nadu has its own RTI Rules (the Tamil Nadu Right to Information Rules, 2005 — notified under the Central RTI Act, 2005 — which apply to all public authorities in Tamil Nadu — state government departments, municipalities, panchayats, 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 through the online portal — if available), © the application can be in Tamil or English (the PIO must accept applications in either language — 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 — within 30 days of the PIO's response — or non-response), (f) the second appeal is filed with the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission (located in Chennai — within 90 days of the FAA's order — or non-response).
2. Step 2: Online filing. (a) the Tamil Nadu government has an online RTI portal (tnrti.gov.in — or through the e-Sevai portal — the citizen can file RTI online — to state government departments), (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 (for tracking), © the online portal is available for most state government departments (but not for central government departments in Tamil Nadu — for central departments, use rtionline.gov.in), (d) the PIO's response is sent electronically (to the registered email — and can be viewed on the portal).
3. Step 3: How to file offline. (a) write the application (on plain paper — in Tamil 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 Tamil Nadu 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 Tamil Nadu. (a) PIO not designated (many departments — especially at the Panchayat 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), © Tamil applications rejected (some PIOs reject Tamil applications — claiming they cannot read Tamil — which is illegal — under Section 6(1) — the PIO must accept applications in the official language), (d) the State Information Commission is slow (the Tamil Nadu SIC has a huge backlog — with thousands of pending second appeals — and the appeals take 2-5 years), (e) municipal corporations (the Greater Chennai Corporation, Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation — and other municipal corporations — have their own PIOs — and the RTI process is separate), (f) TASMAC and state PSUs (the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation — and other state PSUs — are public authorities — and RTI can be filed — but the PIOs may not respond).
5. Step 5: File RTI on Tamil Nadu-specific issues. (a) land records: ask the VAO (Village Administrative Officer) or the Revenue Department for: (i) the patta (of [survey number] — village [name] — for the year [year]), (ii) the chitta (of [survey number] — village [name]), (iii) the adangal (of [survey number] — village [name] — for the year [year]), (b) civic issues: ask the Greater Chennai Corporation or the municipality for: (i) the status of [complaint number] (filed on [date] — for [issue] — the action taken), (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), (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).
6. Step 6: Tamil Nadu State Information Commission. (a) the Commission is located in Chennai (at the 5th Floor, Singanallur Co-op Colony, Coimbatore - or the main office in Chennai - check the website - tnsic.gov.in), (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 (tnsic.gov.in — for reference), (e) the Commission conducts hearings (in person — and through video conferencing).
7. Step 7: Practical tips. (a) use the online portal (tnrti.gov.in — for faster filing — and tracking), (b) file in Tamil (if the records are in Tamil — e.g., land records — the PIO cannot reject on language grounds), © be specific (the PIOs in Tamil Nadu — especially in rural areas — may not be trained — be specific — and avoid vague queries), (d) use the Corporation RTI (for civic issues in Chennai — file with the Corporation PIO — not the state department), (e) follow up (the PIOs may not respond — follow up with the FAA — and the Commission), (f) Example: A citizen filed RTI with the VAO — asking for the patta and chitta — the VAO did not respond — the citizen filed a first appeal — the FAA ordered the VAO to respond — the VAO provided the patta — showing that the land was wrongly transferred — the citizen used the RTI reply to correct the patta — and to save his land from a fraudulent transfer.

See RTI Tamil Nadu and Find PIO.