RTI Form Format — what a valid application must contain (2026)

Section 6 of the RTI Act, 2005 requires only that a citizen request information in writing or electronically, with the prescribed fee. The Supreme Court reinforced in *Khanapuram Gandaiah v. Administrative Officer*, (2010) 2 SCC 1, that you may ask for any information that exists in records — so the application's job is to point at records precisely.

Five elements make it valid:

• Addressee — “The Public Information Officer, [office], [address]”.
• The request — specific, numbered points, each pointing at a record or fact.
• Fee — Rs 10 for central public authorities under the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2012; most states also Rs 10, a few differ — check the state-wise fee table.
• Your signature (or thumb impression).
• Your address — the reply must reach you by post; add phone and email as delivery helps.

To:
The Public Information Officer,
[Office name], [Full address].

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

Sir/Madam,

Please provide the following information held by
your office:

1. [Point at a record: "the date-wise noting on file
   no. ___ from ___ to ___"]
2. [Point at a register: "entries 100-120 of the
   ___ register for 2026, certified copies"]
3. [Point at a fact: "the sanctioned strength and
   the officers in post as on 1 August 2026"]

Fee of Rs 10 paid by [IPO no. ___ / online
registration no. ___ / cash receipt no. ___].

I may be supplied the information in printed form
by post. [Where applicable: I am a BPL cardholder,
copy enclosed, and claim exemption from all fees
under section 7(5).]

Yours faithfully,
[Name]
[Address, phone, email]
[Date]

Build a filled-in version in the AI RTI Drafter or browse the sample RTI applications library.

1. Ask for records, not reasons. “Why was my file rejected” invites silence; “provide the noting by which file ___ was rejected” compels a document. See the records-not-answers drafting guide.
2. One subject per application. Scattered topics give the PIO a §7(9) excuse and muddle the appeal.
3. Say what you want done with it — photocopy, CD, inspection, or email. Email delivery of electronic records costs nothing extra.
4. Claim life-and-liberty only when true. The 48-hour clock of §7(1) proviso is for genuine emergencies; false claims poison later appeals.
5. BPL proof up front — §7(5) exempts every fee; attach the card copy.
6. Keep it short. Long essays create fog; numbered points create deadlines.

• Language — §6(1): English, Hindi or the official language of your area. No PIO can reject a language the office uses.
• No reason required — §6(2): you need not justify asking, and no fee beyond the prescribed one.
• No compulsory form — the central rules prescribe none; states that print formats make them optional. Some state portals cap length and attachments — that is a portal rule, not an RTI Act bar.
• Transfer — §6(3): wrong office? It must forward within 5 days and tell you.
• Deadlines — §7(1): 30 days, or 48 hours for life and liberty; §7(6): information delayed beyond the timeline comes free.
• Speaking refusal — a bare “denied under §8” fails *Bhagat Singh v. CIC* (Delhi High Court, 2007): the PIO must apply the exemption to each point and give reasons.

• Opinion-seeking (“is the order correct?”) — outside “information” under §2(f), per *Khanapuram Gandaiah*.
• No address for the reply — the PIO posts nowhere and the file dies politely.
• Wrong fee mode — some offices accept only challan or IPO; the portal always tells you before you pay.
• 40 points across five subjects — split into five clean applications.
• Signing without date — every later deadline is counted from a date you cannot prove.

English, Hindi, or the official language of the area — §6(1). A Kannada application to a Bengaluru office is valid.

No — electronic filing is a recognised mode; rtionline.gov.in serves all central public authorities and many state portals mirror it.

The Act sets none; portals and some state rules cap text fields for practical reasons. Focus beats length.

Any citizen can apply; the reply goes to the applicant. No lawyer is needed at any stage.

• File RTI online — 12 steps
• State-wise RTI fees
• Sample RTI applications
• Why RTI gets rejected
• The RTI Playbook

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — §2(f), §6, §7.
• RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2012.
• *Khanapuram Gandaiah v. Administrative Officer*, (2010) 2 SCC 1.
• *Bhagat Singh v. Central Information Commission*, Delhi High Court (2007).