RTI Time Limits: 30 Days, 48 Hours, 40 Days, 45 Days and 90 Days Explained

• You filed an RTI and want to know on which day the deadline expires.
• The PIO has replied late and you want to count the days of delay for the Section 20 penalty prayer.
• You are filing a first or second appeal and want to confirm you are within time.

For the master citizen guide, see Guide for applicants.

Suppose you posted an RTI on 1 April 2026, the Speed Post tracking shows it reached the PIO on 5 April 2026. The 30-day deadline expires on 5 May 2026.

• If the PIO replies on 5 May - within time, no Section 7(6) trigger.
• If the PIO replies on 15 May - delay of 10 days. Section 7(6) triggers; information must be supplied free.
• If the PIO is silent past 5 May - deemed refusal under Section 7(2); first appeal can be filed from 6 May.
• The first appeal must reach the FAA by 5 June (30 days from 6 May).
• The FAA must decide by 5 July (30 days from 6 June, the typical FAA receipt date) or, for recorded reasons, 20 July.
• If the FAA is silent past 20 July, the second appeal to the Commission can be filed by 18 October 2026 (90 days from 20 July).

Section 5(2) allows public authorities to designate Assistant Public Information Officers in sub-offices, especially at sub-divisional level. An APIO is a post-office, not a decision-maker; they receive the application and forward it to the PIO.

If the application was first received by the APIO, the time limit is 30 + 5 = 35 days.

If you file with the wrong public authority, the receiving PIO must transfer to the correct authority within 5 days. The 30-day clock then runs from the date of receipt at the correct authority. Do not refile.

The 5-day transfer time is part of the public authority's obligation, not a deduction from your appeal time.

The proviso to Section 7(1) reads:

• “Provided that where the information sought for concerns the life or liberty of a person, the same shall be provided within forty-eight hours of the receipt of the request.”

Examples where this applies:

• Custodial death enquiry status report.
• Hospital admission record of a missing person.
• Location of an undertrial in a particular jail.
• Status of an emergency medical reimbursement for an in-hospital patient.

To trigger this rule, state in the subject line and the prayer that the information concerns the life or liberty of a person, with reasons.

Section 11(1) requires the PIO, before disclosing information that “relates to or has been supplied by a third party and has been treated as confidential by that third party”, to issue a notice to the third party within 5 days of receiving the application. The third party has 10 days to make submissions.

Section 11(3) allows the PIO 40 days for the entire process - receipt, third-party notice, hearing, decision.

Examples:

• Tender bid documents of competing firms.
• Personnel file information of another employee.
• Third-party agreement / MoU with the public authority.

• Section 7(2): deemed refusal; file first appeal on day 31.
• Section 7(6): information must be supplied free of cost.
• Section 20: Rs 250 per day penalty (capped Rs 25,000) by Information Commission.

• Move directly to second appeal under Section 19(3).
• Cite the FAA's silence as a separate ground.

• Apply for condonation under the proviso to Section 19(3) - show “sufficient cause”.
• Or file a complaint under Section 18 (no fixed time limit).

From the date of receipt by the PIO, not the date of posting by the applicant. Speed Post tracking ID and the rtionline.gov.in registration page are the evidence. If the application was received by the dak section before reaching the PIO's desk, the clock runs from the dak section's receipt.

Yes. The Act counts calendar days, not working days. Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays are all included.

There is no statutory extension. Most PIOs deliver the reply the next working day; Commissions have generally not penalised this on its own. Best practice is to assume the deadline is the calendar 30th day.

No, except by transferring the application to a third party for hearing under Section 11 (which extends the limit to 40 days). The PIO cannot unilaterally extend.

The clock keeps running. If the PIO genuinely needs clarification, they must reply with what they can supply and ask for clarification on the rest, all within 30 days.

The order is open to challenge as having been passed without jurisdiction (Section 19(6) caps the FAA at 45 days). In practice, Commissions accept the late order if it is favourable to the appellant; if it is unfavourable, the appellant can challenge both the late timing and the merits.

From the date of the FAA's order (not the date of receipt by the appellant). If the FAA is silent, from the date the order was due (FAA receipt + 30 days, or + 45 if extended).

Yes, by the Information Commission, on a written application showing “sufficient cause” under the proviso to Section 19(3).

The Act sets no fixed limit. The Commission expects “reasonable promptness” - typically within 1 year of the cause of action.

Use the RTI Timeline Calculator. Enter the filing / receipt date and it will calculate the PIO reply date, first appeal date, FAA outer limit and second appeal deadline from the same rules explained in this guide.

• Guide hub
• Guide for applicants
• How to file an RTI under Section 6
• When the reply is free
• Penalty + compensation
• First appeal under Section 19(1)
• Second appeal under Section 19(3)
• Complaint under Section 18
• Fundamental RTI facts

1. Right to Information Act, 2005 - Sections 5, 6, 7, 11, 18, 19, 20, 24.
2. DoPT Master Circular on RTI.
3. cic.gov.in - Central Information Commission.
4. rtionline.gov.in - Central RTI portal.

Last reviewed: 9 May 2026.

Many RTIs are filed because a government scheme or document is delayed. Before filing, check the status directly:

• PMAY beneficiary status
• NREGA / MGNREGA job card and payment status
• Ration card status
• PM-KISAN Rs 6,000 status
• e-Shram card status

If a status is stuck beyond the official timeline, use the AI RTI Drafter to file in minutes.