How to File an RTI Application under Section 6: Complete Citizen Guide 2026

You want to file your first RTI and you are not sure whether to go online, offline, or which department to write to. This page covers the choice of route, locating the right public authority, locating the PIO, drafting the request, paying the fee, and what to do if the application is misdirected.

For a line-by-line walkthrough of the form fields, see How to fill the RTI form.

The portal is rtionline.gov.in. The flow:

1. Register / login. A simple email and mobile-OTP signup. No Aadhaar.
2. Pick the public authority. Drop-down lists every Central ministry, department, attached office, and statutory body.
3. Pay Rs 10. Card, netbanking, UPI, or BPL declaration (no payment).
4. Type the application. 3000-character limit per request. Attach up to 1 MB of supporting documents.
5. Submit. You get a registration number (e.g., MOSJE/R/2025/12345) by email and SMS.
6. Track. The same portal shows the PIO's reply.

Several States run their own portals: rtionline.maharashtra.gov.in, rtionline.delhi.gov.in, rti.up.nic.in, etc. Where no portal exists (most States), the application must be filed offline.

• Information is held by a State or local body that is not on a portal.
• Records pre-date the portal cut-off (some pre-2005 records).
• The application is more than 500 words and does not fit the 3000-character box. (Workaround: state the full prayer in an attached PDF and use the box to refer to it.)

In these cases, file by post.

• One A4 sheet with the application typed or hand-written.
• Indian Postal Order for Rs 10 (or higher per State Rules) made out to the Accounts Officer of the public authority. Some States accept demand drafts, banker's cheques, or court-fee stamps. Some accept cash at the counter.
• A4 envelope addressed to the PIO.
• Speed Post receipt - the only proof of date of receipt.

1. Locate the right public authority. See the next section.
2. Locate the PIO. See find the PIO.
3. Type and sign the application. Use the field-by-field guide at How to fill the RTI form.
4. Buy the IPO. From any post office, cost Rs 0 over Rs 10 face value (no extra fee). Write your name on the IPO and the name of the Accounts Officer.
5. Post by Speed Post. Track ID is your evidence of date of receipt.

The public authority is the body that holds the record you want, not the body that issued the policy.

• Pension delay. Public authority = the office where you served (e.g., Indian Railways for a Railway pensioner), not the Department of Pensions.
• Local road work. Public authority = the municipal corporation or PWD division that executed the work, not the State PWD headquarters.
• Police FIR. Public authority = the police station or commissionerate that registered the FIR.
• Election expense. Public authority = the District Election Officer for assembly polls; the Election Commission for parliamentary returns at the consolidation stage.
• A Central scheme delivered by a State. File with the implementing State office (e.g., a District Rural Development Agency for MGNREGA), not the Ministry.

If you guess wrong, Section 6(3) requires the PIO to transfer the application to the right public authority within 5 days, and the 30-day clock then runs from the date of receipt at the correct authority. Do not re-file; just track the transfer.

Three reliable sources:

1. Section 4(1)(b) disclosure. Every public authority must list the PIO's name, designation, and address on its website under “Right to Information” or “RTI Cell”.
2. rtionline.gov.in. For Central authorities, the portal auto-routes to the PIO of the chosen department.
3. Parent department. If the public authority website is dead, write to the parent department's PIO and rely on Section 6(3) transfer.

If the PIO's name is genuinely unfindable, address the application to “The Public Information Officer” at the office address. Section 5(2) allows this; the public authority must designate someone to receive it.

Full method (with seven sub-routes including subordinate offices, attached offices, and the Section 6(3) transfer): how to locate the PIO.

The single most common reason for rejection is asking the wrong shape of question. Section 2(f) defines information as records. Your question must map onto a record that exists.

• Centre. Rs 10. Online via card/UPI on the portal, or by IPO/DD/banker's cheque/court-fee stamp offline.
• States. Rs 10 in most, up to Rs 50 in a few. Check the State Rules.
• Photocopies. Rs 2/page (Centre).
• Diskettes / CDs. Rs 50 each (Centre).
• Inspection. Free first hour, then Rs 5 per 15 minutes (Centre).
• BPL exemption. Free under Section 7(5). Attach a BPL card photocopy.
• Free reply for delay. Section 7(6). If the PIO misses 30 days, all information is free. See when information must be supplied free.

If you file with the wrong public authority, Section 6(3) requires the PIO to:

1. Transfer the application within 5 days to the public authority that holds the record.
2. Inform you in writing of the transfer and the address of the new PIO.

The 30-day clock then runs from the date of receipt at the correct authority, not from your original posting. Do not refile; track the transfer. If the PIO refuses to transfer and instead returns the application or rejects it, that is a ground for first appeal under Section 19(1) and a complaint under Section 18.

• Ordinary case: 30 days from PIO receipt.
• APIO route: 30 + 5 = 35 days. (An Assistant PIO is the post-office for the PIO; Section 5(2) gives an extra 5 days.)
• Section 6(3) transfer: 30 days from receipt at the correct public authority.
• Third-party case (Section 11): 40 days.
• Life or liberty: 48 hours.

If silent past the deadline, that is a “deemed refusal” under Section 7(2) and the first appeal lies on day 31.

To,
The Public Information Officer,
[Office name and address]

Subject: Application under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005

Sir/Madam,

I, [Full Name], a citizen of India, request the following information under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005:

1. [Specific record / class of records sought, with file number if known]
2. [Specific record for a specific period]
3. [Specific record / class of records]

Period: [date range]

I have enclosed an Indian Postal Order for Rs 10 / I am exempt under Section 7(5) as a BPL cardholder (copy attached).

Please supply the information by Speed Post / email at the address below within the 30-day limit prescribed under Section 7(1). If the request affects a third party, please follow the Section 11 procedure.

Yours faithfully,

[Signature]
[Full Name]
[Postal address]
[Phone]
[Email]
[Date]

If the PIO is silent past 30 days, denies under Section 8 in a way you do not accept, charges an unreasonable fee, or sends a non-responsive reply, you have 30 days from the reply date (or from day 31 in case of silence) to file a first appeal under Section 19(1). The full filing guide is at First appeal under Section 19(1).

You can, but it confuses the public authority and may attract a “vexatious” remark from the Commission. Pick one route and stick to it.

Yes. Send a written withdrawal to the PIO before the reply deadline. The fee is not refundable.

It is a State or local body, or a Central authority not yet on-boarded. File offline.

The Centre's portal accepts up to 3000 characters in the body and a 1 MB attachment. Offline applications have no length limit, but you should still keep the prayer to one or two pages.

The PIO can ask you to narrow the request, but cannot reject outright. The Commission has consistently held that the PIO must reply to whatever part of the request is record-shaped and specific, applying severability under Section 10.

The Postal Order for Rs 10 is rare in big cities and the post office may have run out. Use a demand draft for Rs 10 (free at most public-sector banks for RTI, on production of a copy of the Act).

Yes. Section 6(1) allows English, Hindi, or the official language of the area. The PIO must reply in the same language or a language that the applicant understands.

Centre yes - the portal shows the PIO action log. State usually no - track by Speed Post number on indiapost.gov.in.

No. The Act does not require Aadhaar at any stage. Some State portals ask for it; that is illegal and a complaint to the Commission under Section 18 lies.

Use the AI RTI Drafter. Free, no login.

• Guide hub
• Guide for applicants
• Fill the form, line by line
• Find the right PIO
• When the reply is free
• Penalty + compensation
• Sample RTIs
• First appeal
• RTI time limits
• Fundamental RTI facts

1. Right to Information Act, 2005 - Sections 6, 7, 11, 19.
2. rtionline.gov.in - Central RTI online portal.
3. DoPT Master Circular on RTI.
4. indiapost.gov.in - Indian Postal Order and Speed Post tracking.
5. CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, (2011) 8 SCC 497.

Last reviewed: 9 May 2026.