Bihar RTI rules — 2026 citizen guide

Bihar applies the Bihar Right to Information Rules, 2006 (made under §27 of the RTI Act, 2005) for all state public authorities. The fee is ₹10 per application (BPL: zero). Reply deadline: 30 days under §7(1) of the central RTI Act. Online filing via the rtps.bihar.gov.in portal (state public-service guarantee + RTI co-located). Postal Speed Post (AD) remains the universal fallback.

• Central: Right to Information Act, 2005.
• Bihar-specific: Bihar Right to Information Rules, 2006 (notified by the General Administration Department), made under §27 of the central Act. Bihar State Information Commission portal.
• State public-service: Bihar Right to Public Service Act, 2011 — this is separate from RTI but works in parallel. RTPS guarantees a service (caste certificate, ration card, etc.); RTI gives information about the file.
• Land-mutation specific: Bihar Land Mutation Act, 2011 — 75-day statutory window for mutation, helpful when filing land RTIs.

• District-level: PIO at the Office of the District Magistrate / DM in your district.
• State-level: PIO at the department secretariat in Old Secretariat / New Secretariat, Patna.
• First Appeal: Appellate Authority named on the same office's RTI page (one rung above PIO).
• Second Appeal: Bihar State Information Commission, Birchand Patel Path, Patna 800001. biharsic.gov.in.

Use our AI RTI Drafter — auto-fills the Bihar fee paragraph and addresses the DM / Secretariat / Tehsil PIO format.

For state-specific scenarios:

• Sample RTI for land mutation (Bihar Mutation Act 2011 — 75-day window)
• Index of all sample RTI letters

• Mixing RTI and RTPS — they are separate. Use RTPS for service delivery (e.g., issue my caste certificate); use RTI for information about the file (status / file noting / officer holding the file). Filing the wrong one delays you.
• Wrong office at the secretariat — many departments have moved between the Old Secretariat (now Vidhan Sabha campus) and the New Secretariat post-2014. Verify on department website.
• Hindi-only application to a non-Hindi-only PIO — Hindi is the dominant office language but English is accepted. Bilingual is fastest.
• No fee proof — non-acceptance. Always include the IPO / court-fee receipt.

The Bihar SIC has had moderate vacancy issues monitored under Anjali Bhardwaj v. UoI (2019). Average second-appeal disposal time: 8-14 months. Annual reports and disposal data available on the SIC website. If your second appeal has been pending 18+ months, you can approach the Patna High Court under Article 226.

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — full text
• Bihar RTI Rules, 2006 — General Administration Department notification
• Bihar Right to Public Service Act, 2011 — companion service-guarantee law
• Bihar Land Mutation Act, 2011 — relevant for land-mutation RTIs
• Bihar SIC official portal
• Bihar RTPS / RTI co-located portal

• All-state RTI rules
• RTI Act, 2005
• AI RTI Drafter
• State-wise fee chart
• Case-law database

Last reviewed: 4 May 2026.