File RTI in Tamil Nadu — 2026 guide

Last reviewed: 1 September 2026.

Tamil Nadu charges a Rs 10 RTI application fee under the Tamil Nadu Right to Information (Fees) Rules, 2005 — payable in cash, by postal money order, court-fee stamp, demand draft or banker's cheque. 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 Nandanam, Chennai. Central Government RTIs use rtionline.gov.in with the same Rs 10 fee.

Tamil Nadu's charges come from the Tamil Nadu Right to Information (Fees) Rules, 2005: a Rs 10 application fee, Rs 2 a page for A4/A3 photocopies, and record inspection free for the first hour then Rs 5 an hour. BPL applicants pay no application fee, and no fee is prescribed for first or second appeals. The rule-by-rule schedule is on the verified Tamil Nadu fee page; every state's fee and rule differences are tabulated in the state RTI rules directory.

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

• Main bench: Block No. 19, Government Farm Village, Panepet, Nandanam, Chennai-600035 (phone 044-29515590)
• Website: https://tnsic.gov.in (backup directory: https://cic.gov.in/links-to-state-information-commissions)
• 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

Q1: What does an RTI cost in Tamil Nadu? A Rs 10 application fee (cash, postal money order, court-fee stamp, demand draft or banker's cheque), Rs 2 a photocopied page, and Rs 5 an hour for inspection after the first free hour. BPL applicants pay no application fee; appeals are free.

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? The statutory limit is 30 days under Section 7(1) (48 hours where life or liberty is involved); in practice replies often slip past it — send the first appeal as soon as the 30 days run out.

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? Nandanam, Chennai — Block No. 19, Government Farm Village, Panepet (tnsic.gov.in). The CIC State IC directory is a backup link.

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.

Browse the full case-law database 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
• The RTI Playbook

• Tamil Nadu SIC: https://tnsic.gov.in
• CIC State IC directory: 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

Tamil Nadu's charges come from the Tamil Nadu Right to Information (Fees) Rules, 2005: Rs 10 application fee, Rs 2 a photocopied A4/A3 page, first hour of record inspection free then Rs 5 an hour, Rs 50 for a diskette or floppy, and no fee for first or second appeals; BPL applicants are exempt. The rule-by-rule schedule is on the verified Tamil Nadu fee page.

The Commission can order disclosure, impose the Section 20(1) penalty of Rs 250 a day up to Rs 25,000 on a defaulting PIO, recommend disciplinary action under Section 20(2), and award compensation under Section 19(8)(b). Its own site — tnsic.gov.in — publishes orders, hearing notices and the current address (Block No. 19, Government Farm Village, Panepet, Nandanam, Chennai-600035; phone 044-29515590).

There is no single unified online RTI filing portal for Tamil Nadu departments — the tnrti.gov.in address sometimes suggested does not resolve, so file on paper to the PIO (or through a department's own form, such as GCC online or e-Sevai, where offered). Central government departments in Tamil Nadu are filed on rtionline.gov.in.

An illustrative account (not a named person): a citizen asked the Village Administrative Officer for patta and chitta records, got no reply, and won a first appeal — the reply revealed a wrongful land transfer, which the citizen then got corrected. The lesson is generic: when a PIO stays silent past the 30-day limit, move to the FAA rather than waiting.