Tamil Nadu RTI Guide 2026 — RTI Wiki Citizen Guide 2026

The Right to Information Act, 2005 applies fully in Tamil Nadu. State-specific rules under §27 govern fee, format, and First Appeal procedure. Capital: Chennai. State Information Commission: https://www.tnsic.gov.in. RTI fee: ₹10. Online portal: rtionline.tn.gov.in. This guide gives you the operational rules + sample RTIs + key state authorities + escalation ladder for Tamil Nadu citizens.

Reviewed on: 16 September 2026.

1. Online: Use the state portal rtionline.tn.gov.in — register, select the department and its PIO, fill in your request, and pay the ₹10 fee through the portal's payment gateway.
2. By post: Address to the Public Information Officer of the concerned department. Send by Registered Post.
3. Walk-in: At the department's office during working hours. Get a dated receipt.
4. Pay ₹10 by cash, postal money order, court fee stamp, demand draft, or banker's cheque, in favour of the Accounts Officer of the concerned department — or online through the state portal's payment gateway.
5. BPL applicants: No fee. Attach BPL/Antyodaya/AAY card.

Tamil Nadu SIC · Corporation of Chennai · CMDA

For Central Government RTIs filed FROM Tamil Nadu, use rtionline.gov.in which routes to the relevant central ministry.

To:
The Public Information Officer,
[Department name],
Government of Tamil Nadu,
[Department address, Chennai].

Subject: RTI under §6 of the RTI Act, 2005 — [your subject]

Sir/Madam,

Under the Right to Information Act, 2005, I, [Name], resident of
[address with PIN], request the following information:

1. [Specific item 1.]
2. [Specific item 2.]
3. Copy of the noting sheet of the file from receipt till the date
   of this reply.
4. Name, designation, and contact of the dealing officer at present.
5. Service standard / SLA applicable to this matter and the reason
   for delay, if any.

I am enclosing the application fee of ₹10 (court fee stamp / demand
draft / banker's cheque / postal money order) in favour of
"Accounts Officer, [Department]". (BPL applicants: card copy
enclosed; fee waived under §7(5).)

Yours faithfully,
[Name]
[Address, mobile, email]
Date: [Today]

To:
The First Appellate Authority,
[Senior officer designation, e.g., Joint Secretary],
[Department name], Government of Tamil Nadu,
[Address, Chennai].

Subject: First Appeal under §19(1) of the RTI Act, 2005

[See full template at https://righttoinformation.wiki/rti-first-appeal-second-appeal-guide]

To:
The Registrar,
Tamil Nadu State Information Commission,
[Address from https://www.tnsic.gov.in].

Subject: Second Appeal under §19(3) of the RTI Act, 2005

[See full template at https://righttoinformation.wiki/rti-first-appeal-second-appeal-guide]

• Arun v. Madras High Court (Central Information Commission, Complaint No. CIC/UTPON/C/2023/610361/MDHCC, decided 11 December 2024) — the CIC held that High Courts are public authorities whose RTI requests fall under the Central Information Commission, not the Tamil Nadu SIC. So if your RTI is addressed to the Madras High Court, your appeals lie with the CIC.
• General Supreme Court rulings apply: see 10 Landmark SC RTI Rulings.
• Apply HC rulings of your jurisdiction.

• Passport delay → Passport Delay RTI
• EPF / PF claim → EPFO Claim Status RTI
• Income Tax refund → IT Refund RTI
• PAN card delay → PAN Card Delay RTI
• FIR copy → How to Get an FIR Copy
• Wage delay (MGNREGA → VB-GRAMG) → MGNREGA wage RTI — MGNREGA was repealed on 1 July 2026 and succeeded by VB-GRAMG; the guide covers pending MGNREGA dues and VB-GRAMG follow-ups.
• PMAY status → PMAY Status RTI
• Driving licence → Driving Licence RTI
• Ration card → Ration Card RTI
• IRCTC refund → IRCTC RTI

1. Day 0 — File RTI to PIO (online or registered post).
2. Day 30 — PIO reply due under §7(1).
3. Day 60 — First Appeal under §19(1) to FAA (within 30 days of PIO order).
4. Day 60-105 — FAA decision due (30-45 days under §19(6)).
5. Day 195 — Second Appeal under §19(3) to Tamil Nadu SIC.
6. Last resort — Writ under Article 226 to the Madras High Court (High Court of Judicature at Madras).

• CPGRAMS (Central): pgportal.gov.in
• State RTI portal: rtionline.tn.gov.in
• State SIC: https://www.tnsic.gov.in

₹10 under the Tamil Nadu Right to Information (Fees) Rules, 2005, payable with the application. No separate fee is prescribed for a First Appeal. BPL applicants are exempt under §7(5). Pay by cash, postal money order, court fee stamp, demand draft, or banker's cheque — or online through the state portal.

Yes — the state portal rtionline.tn.gov.in accepts RTI applications and the ₹10 fee online. You can also file by Registered Post to the concerned department's PIO. Some specific departments also run their own grievance portals.

The Tamil Nadu SIC composition is updated on its website https://www.tnsic.gov.in. Composition changes periodically — check the website for current Commissioners.

If the Second Appeal hearing is delayed beyond reasonable time, file a writ petition under Article 226 to the Madras High Court. The High Court has supervisory jurisdiction over the SIC.

(a) Cash at the counter during walk-in filing (get a receipt); (b) Postal money order; © Court fee stamp; (d) Demand draft or banker's cheque; (e) Online via the state portal rtionline.tn.gov.in. You may also remit the fee through a Treasury / Pay and Accounts Office / SBI / RBI challan and produce the chalan to the PIO as proof of payment.

• The RTI Playbook
• All-states RTI comparison
• First Appeal & Second Appeal Complete Guide
• §8 Exemptions explained
• Fee Calculator
• Deadline Calculator
• AI RTI Drafter

• How to file an RTI for income certificate in Tamil Nadu

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — cic.gov.in
• Tamil Nadu Right to Information (Fees) Rules, 2005 — fee schedule on the TNSIC website TNSIC fee schedule
• Tamil Nadu State Information Commission — https://www.tnsic.gov.in
• Central Information Commission — cic.gov.in