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+{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(rti act 2005, rti act india, sucna ka adhikar adhiniyam, rti act 2005 full text, rti act sections, rti act explained)
+metatag-description=(The definitive 2026 guide to India's Right to Information Act 2005. Every section explained, every key case cited, every state extension covered. Citizen-friendly + officer-grade.)}}
+====== The complete RTI Act 2005 guide — citizen + officer reference (2026) ======
+{{page>snippets:dpdp-banner}}
+<WRAP info>**The lead.** The Right to Information Act, 2005 came into force on **12 October 2005**. It gives every Indian citizen the legal right to request information from any public authority — Central, state, local body, autonomous, PSU, or substantially-financed private entity. The Act has 31 sections in 6 chapters. This pillar covers every section with plain-English explanation, leading case-law, and links to deep guides for every situation.</WRAP>
+===== Why this Act matters =====
+Before October 2005, an Indian citizen who wanted a government file had to know someone, or do without. The RTI Act inverted that. Today, **30 days** is the legal maximum a public authority can hold information from you. **₹10** is the legal maximum fee. **Section 8** lists exactly 10 exemptions — anything outside those 10 must be disclosed.
+The Act has produced over **6 crore RTI applications** since 2005. It has surfaced corruption (2G scam roots, Commonwealth Games scams, Adarsh scam), improved welfare delivery (PMAY ghost beneficiaries, MGNREGA wage arrears), and quietly trained millions of citizens in civic literacy.
+===== The 6 chapters of the Act =====
+  - **Chapter I** — Preliminary (definitions, applicability) → Sections 1-3
+  - **Chapter II** — Right to Information & Obligations of Public Authorities → Sections 4-11
+  - **Chapter III** — The Central Information Commission → Sections 12-14
+  - **Chapter IV** — The State Information Commissions → Sections 15-17
+  - **Chapter V** — Powers and Functions of Information Commissions, Appeals → Sections 18-20
+  - **Chapter VI** — Miscellaneous → Sections 21-31
+===== Key sections — citizen-priority order =====
+**[[:act:section-2|Section 2(f) — what is "information"]]**: Records, documents, memos, emails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, log books, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, electronic data. Very broad. The CIC has held that file notings, working papers and post-decisional notes are all "information" — see [[:case-database:start|R.K. Jain v. UoI 2013]].
+**[[:act:section-2|Section 2(h) — "public authority"]]**: Any authority constituted under the Constitution, by Parliament, or substantially financed by Government. Includes PSUs (LIC, ONGC, MTNL), substantially-financed private bodies (post-Thalappalam test), constitutional bodies (ECI, CAG, CIC). Excludes most private companies.
+**[[:act:section-4|Section 4 — proactive disclosure]]**: Every public authority MUST publish 17 categories of information voluntarily without anyone asking — organisation chart, powers, decision-making norms, budget, beneficiary lists, etc. Few comply fully. **Filing an RTI on §4 gaps is one of the strongest moves citizens have.**
+**[[:act:section-6|Section 6 — application procedure]]**: Apply in writing or electronically, in English/Hindi/the official state language. ₹10 fee. No reason needs to be stated. PIO has 5 days to transfer wrongly-addressed applications to the right PA under §6(3).
+**[[:act:section-7|Section 7 — 30-day timeline]]**: Reply within 30 days. Information concerning **life or liberty** must be supplied in **48 hours** (§7(1) proviso). Third-party consultation (§11) extends by 40 days. Under §7(6), if the deadline is missed, information must be supplied **free**.
+**[[:act:section-8|Section 8 — the 10 exemptions]]**: National security (§8(a)), Parliament privilege (§8(c)), commercial confidence (§8(d)), fiduciary relationship (§8(e)), foreign government (§8(f)), informant safety (§8(g)), investigation (§8(h)), Cabinet papers (§8(i)), personal information (§8(j)). Each has a public-interest override.
+**[[:act:section-9|Section 9 — third-party copyright]]**: Where copyright would be infringed, PIO can refuse — but only if the third party objects.
+**[[:act:section-19|Section 19 — appeals]]**: First Appeal to FAA within 30 days of PIO reply; FAA disposes in 30+15 days. Second Appeal to CIC/SIC within 90 days of FAA decision.
+**[[:act:section-20|Section 20 — penalty on PIO]]**: ₹250/day (max ₹25,000) for malafide refusal, false answer, destruction of records, obstruction. Imposed by the Commission.
+**[[:act:section-24|Section 24 — exempt agencies]]**: 22 intelligence/security agencies (RAW, IB, NSG, CBI, etc.) are exempt — but the **proviso** says corruption + human-rights-violation information from these agencies is still disclosable.
+===== Cluster reading =====
+**For citizens** filing their first RTI:
+  * [[:rti-for-beginners|RTI for beginners — what to know first]]
+  * [[:file-rti-help|How to file RTI in 5 minutes]]
+  * [[:file-rti-online-india|How to file online — 12-step guide]]
+  * [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html|AI Drafter — get your RTI in 60 seconds]]
+  * [[:faq|RTI FAQ — 25 questions answered]]
+**For PIOs and FAAs** doing their job:
+  * [[:pio-faa-knowledge-base|PIO/FAA knowledge base — 25-article hub]]
+  * [[:pio-rti-reply-guide|How to reply to an RTI properly]]
+  * [[:pio-section-8-1-j-framework|Section 8(1)(j) framework for PIOs]]
+  * [[:faa-appellate-review-checklist|FAA appellate review checklist]]
+**For specific scenarios** — pick yours:
+  * [[:rti-for-pension-delay|RTI for delayed pension]] · [[:rti-for-property-mutation-delay|Property mutation]] · [[:rti-for-passport-status|Passport status]] · [[:rti-for-fir-status|FIR status]] · [[:rti-for-ration-card-status|Ration card]] · [[:rti-for-pmay-status|PMAY]] · [[:rti-for-pmkisan-installment|PM-KISAN]] · [[:rti-for-mgnrega-wages|MGNREGA wages]] · [[:rti-for-electricity-bill-dispute|Electricity bill]] · [[:rti-for-school-admission-rte|RTE admission]]
+  * 87 more scenarios at [[:rti-for-beginners|RTI scenarios index]]
+**For state-level** filing:
+  * [[:state-rti-portals-directory|All 36 state portals — the working ones]]
+  * [[:state-scheme:maharashtra:start|Maharashtra]] · [[:state-scheme:tamil-nadu:start|Tamil Nadu]] · [[:state-scheme:uttar-pradesh:start|UP]] · [[:state-scheme:bihar:start|Bihar]] · [[:state-scheme:karnataka:start|Karnataka]] · [[:state-scheme:kerala:start|Kerala]] · 30 more
+**For case-law research**:
+  * [[:case-database:start|RTI case database — 300+ decisions]]
+  * [[:pio-supreme-court-rulings|10 SC rulings every PIO must know]]
+  * [[:landmark-cic-decisions|Landmark CIC decisions]]
+**Recent updates**:
+  * [[:blog:what-changed-in-rti-act-2025-2026-amendments|2025-26 amendments — DPDP §44(3), CIC vacancies, fee debate]]
+  * [[:blog:supreme-court-rti-rulings-last-12-months|Last 12 months of SC rulings]]
+  * [[:blog:why-rti-rejections-rose-30-percent-2025|Why rejections rose 30% in 2025]]
+===== Tools to act =====
+  * 🎤 [[:tools:awaaz-rti|AwaazRTI — voice-to-RTI in 11 Indian languages]]
+  * 🪄 [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html|AI RTI Drafter — 60-second §6 application]]
+  * 🔮 [[:tools:rti-outcome-predictor|Outcome Predictor — score your RTI]]
+  * ⚖️ [[:tools:first-appeal-app|First Appeal Generator — §19(1) draft]]
+  * 📬 [[:tools:pio-reply-checker-app|PIO Reply Checker — analyse evasive replies]]
+  * 📅 [[:tools:timeline-calculator-app|Timeline Calculator — track 30-day clock]]
+  * 🔍 [[:tools:rti-research|RTI Research — AI Q&A cited from this site]]
+{REVIEWED}
+{{{{tag>act rti-act-2005 pillar guide}}}}
+===== 🔗 Related guides =====
+  * [[:city-rti-master-guide|City-by-city RTI guide — 50 cities, every municipal service (2026)]]
+  * [[:rti-tools-master-guide|Free RTI AI tools — the complete suite (2026)]]
+  * [[:state-rti-master-guide|State-by-state RTI guide — every state, every scheme (2026 master)]]
+  * [[:citizen-rti-playbook|Citizen RTI playbook — file, escalate, win (2026)]]
+  * [[:file-rti-online-india|File RTI Online — 12 steps + free tools]]
+{{tag>rti act 2005 complete guide pillar 2026}}

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