RTI for Police Verification Delay: Passport, Tenant, Job and Character Certificate

Use this guide when (a) Passport Seva sends an SMS saying “police verification is in progress” but nothing moves for weeks; (b) a government recruiting body is holding back your appointment letter pending PV; © you applied for a tenant police-NOC and the local SHO has not visited; (d) a school, MNC or visa office has asked for a police clearance certificate that is still pending. The verification system is the same across these use cases, only the requesting authority changes.

• RTI Act 2005, Section 6 and Section 7(1): 30-day reply.
• RTI Act 2005, Section 24(4): state intelligence and security organisations notified by states are exempt, but ordinary verification work by district police is not.
• Passport Rules 1980: police verification is governed under the Passports Act 1967 and the Passport Manual.
• Police Act 1861 and state police acts: SHO and SP duty to maintain station diary, daily diary and beat books.
• Code of Criminal Procedure 1973: maintenance of registers and station diary entries.

The Central Information Commission has held in G S Vohra v MEA (CIC/AT/2008) and R K Aggarwal v Delhi Police (CIC/SS/2011) that police verification reports for passport purposes are disclosable, with personal third-party material redacted under Section 8(1)(j) and Section 10.

1. Find the right PIO. The PIO of the District Superintendent of Police (or Commissioner of Police in metros) is your primary target. The local police station is not a separate public authority, it is part of the SP's office.
2. Note the verification reference. Passport file number, recruiting body's reference, or tenant verification application receipt.
3. Draft the RTI. Ask for the date the verification request was received from the requesting authority, station diary entry, beat constable's visit report, SHO endorsement, SDPO endorsement, SP signature, dispatch register entry to the requesting authority, present location, and reason for delay.
4. Pay ₹10 fee (state-specific) and post by Speed Post AD to the SP's PIO. Mark a copy to the SHO if you have time.
5. Wait 30 days then escalate.

To,
The Public Information Officer,
Office of the Superintendent of Police, [District]
[Full address]

Subject: RTI under Section 6 regarding police verification dated [DD/MM/YYYY] for [Passport / Tenant / Job / Character Certificate]

Sir / Madam,

I, [Full name], aged [age], a citizen of India, resident of [address], request the following information under the RTI Act 2005. Fee of Rs. 10 paid by IPO no. [number, date].

In respect of the police verification request received in your office in connection with my [Passport file no. / Job recruitment ref. / Tenant verification application] dated [DD/MM/YYYY]:

1. Date and diary number on which the request was received in your office.
2. Date on which it was forwarded to the SHO of police station [Name].
3. Date and entry number in the station daily diary recording allocation to a beat constable.
4. Name and badge number of the beat constable assigned.
5. Date(s) on which the beat constable visited my address.
6. Copy of the beat constable's report (with personal third-party data redacted under Section 10).
7. Date and noting of the SHO endorsement.
8. Date and noting of the SDPO endorsement.
9. Date of signature by the Superintendent of Police.
10. Dispatch register entry showing date of dispatch to the requesting authority and mode of dispatch.
11. Present physical location of the file and name, designation of present custodian.
12. Reasons recorded for delay beyond [number of days] days.

I invoke Section 10 (severability) and Section 6(3) (transfer). Section 8(1)(j) is not pleadable for routine verification records. I undertake to pay further fee under Section 7(3).

Yours faithfully,
[Signature, name, date]

• Filing only with the local police station. SHO is not a designated PIO in most states. Address the SP's PIO and copy SHO.
• Asking for the full PV report. The intelligence inputs may be exempt. Ask for the procedural records, diary entries, dispatch register, dates and noting.
• Naming the beat constable and demanding action. Stay record-shaped. Ask for the badge number and the dates of visits, not for action.
• Passport mPassport Seva tracking ignored. Always check the Passport Seva mobile app first; sometimes the verification has actually been sent and is stuck at MEA. RTI with MEA PIO then becomes appropriate.
• Waiting more than 30 days for First Appeal. First Appeal is also time-bound. File on day 31 if you have heard nothing.

• No reply in 30 days → First Appeal under Section 19(1) to the FAA of the SP's office.
• Still no reply → Second Appeal to the State Information Commission.
• Parallel grievance → Online grievance to the State Police HQ; PG portal of the state government.
• Passport-specific → Grievance on the Passport Seva portal and a parallel email to the Regional Passport Officer with the RTI reply attached.
• Tenant verification → Many states have a “Tenant Verification” online module; track and re-submit there with your RTI reply.
• Writ → Article 226 for unjustified delay beyond three months affecting livelihood.

Yes for fresh passport in most cases; pre-PV passports are issued for re-issue when the previous PV is clear. The Passport Manual lists the categories.

No. Demanding bribe for verification is corruption and a cognisable offence. File a vigilance complaint at the Anti-Corruption Bureau and a parallel RTI for the file movement.

Yes, your name and address are on the application. This is normal. Filing an RTI cannot legally cause adverse action against you.

Ask for the report of any home visits and a fresh visit if needed. The Passport Manual allows verification at the present address even if the application listed an older one.

The Passport Seva norm is 21 days from the date the SP receives the request. Anything longer is a delay you can challenge.

Yes, daily diary and station diary are accessible records. Personal data of third parties can be redacted under Section 10.

If your state has notified its Special Branch under Section 24(4), parts of that record may be exempt, but the CIC has held that allegations of corruption and human rights violations remain disclosable.

• Passport Seva: passportindia.gov.in
• Ministry of External Affairs: mea.gov.in
• Bureau of Police Research and Development: bprd.nic.in
• Department of Personnel and Training: dopt.gov.in
• RTI Online: rtionline.gov.in

Last reviewed: 9 May 2026.

• AI RTI Drafter
• Guide hub
• How to file an RTI application
• RTI vs complaint
• RTI for missing government file
• RTI for recruitment exams
• First Appeal procedure