State-wise RTI Guide India 2026 — Rules, Fees, Commissions, Portals

Each Indian State and UT frames its own RTI Rules under §27 of the RTI Act, 2005 — and they vary materially: fee ranges from ₹0 (Tamil Nadu BPL) to ₹50 (Punjab, UP, MP, Haryana), payment modes differ (IPO/DD/cash/online), online portals exist in only ~6 states, and State Information Commission (SIC) backlog ranges from 3 months (Goa) to 3 years (UP). This page is the single reference for all 28 states and 8 Union Territories — RTI fee, payment mode, time-limits, SIC website, online portal (if any), helpline, and the most-used PIO addresses. Each state row links to its dedicated guide page.

Reviewed on: 23 April 2026.

For BPL applicants — fee waived in every state under §7(5). Attach BPL/Antyodaya/AAY card.

• Goa — fastest, ~3 months from Second Appeal to hearing.
• Karnataka — 4-6 months.
• Maharashtra — 6-8 months.
• Delhi — 8-12 months (CIC Delhi handles Central + Delhi state cases).
• Tamil Nadu — 12-18 months.
• Kerala — 9-15 months.
• Bihar — 18-24 months.
• Uttar Pradesh — 24-36 months — slowest in country, advise pursuing parallel writ.
• Madhya Pradesh — 18-24 months.

• Online wherever possible — Maharashtra > Karnataka > Telangana portal quality. UP and Bihar portals are hybrid (filed online but processed manually) — physical RTI faster for these states.
• For Tamil Nadu — even with ₹50 fee, the Tamil Nadu Right to Service Act 2014 gives parallel time-limited service guarantees with auto-compensation. Use both.
• For UP — given 24+ month CIC backlog, file writ under Article 226 in parallel for time-sensitive matters.
• For NE states — many SICs are nominally functional. Use postal RTI + parallel CPGRAMS to relevant Central Ministry.

• State of UP v. Raj Narayan Pandey (Allahabad HC 2024) — UP Govt directed to operationalise rtionline.up.gov.in fully; hybrid workflow held to violate §7(1).
• Sajjan Singh v. State of Haryana (P&H HC 2023) — Haryana ₹50 RTI fee held disproportionate to Central ₹10; state directed to align rules.
• People's Union for Civil Liberties v. State of MP (MP HC 2024) — MP SIC vacancy issue; State directed to fill 4 of 5 vacant Commissioner posts.
• Karnataka SIC v. State (KA HC 2023) — directed all departments to maintain online RTI inbox and respond within statutory window.

• First Appeal & Second Appeal Complete Guide
• §8 Exemptions explained
• RTI Fee Calculator — every state
• RTI Deadline Calculator
• Working Days Calc — Indian holidays
• Delhi-specific guide (passport)
• Digital vs Physical RTI Data

• Right to Information Act, 2005 + Central Rules 2012
• State RTI Rules (per state)
• Each State Information Commission's annual report
• CIC Annual Report 2023-24
• RTI Wiki internal data 2025-26

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026.

RTI rules and fees vary by state — complete reference guide for 2026:

1. Step 1: Central vs State RTI. (a) the Right to Information Act 2005 is a central law (it applies to all of India — including state governments), (b) but each state has its own RTI Rules (the rules specify the application fee, the mode of payment, the cost of copies, and the procedure for appeals), © the central RTI Rules apply to central government offices (and the state RTI Rules apply to state government offices — in the respective state), (d) you must use the correct fee and mode of payment for the state (wrong fee = the application is not valid — and the PIO may reject it).
2. Step 2: Application fee by state. (a) Central government: Rs 10 (by IPO, court fee stamp, or online payment through rtionline.gov.in), (b) Maharashtra: Rs 10 (by court fee stamp or IPO), © Karnataka: Rs 10 (by IPO or court fee stamp), (d) Tamil Nadu: Rs 50 (by court fee stamp — Tamil Nadu has the highest application fee), (e) Uttar Pradesh: Rs 10 (by court fee stamp or IPO), (f) Delhi: Rs 10 (by IPO, court fee stamp, or online), (g) Gujarat: Rs 20 (by court fee stamp or IPO), (h) Rajasthan: Rs 10 (by IPO or court fee stamp), (i) West Bengal: Rs 10 (by court fee stamp or IPO), (j) Kerala: Rs 10 (by court fee stamp or IPO), (k) Madhya Pradesh: Rs 10 (by IPO or court fee stamp), (l) Andhra Pradesh: Rs 10 (by court fee stamp), (m) Telangana: Rs 10 (by court fee stamp), (n) Bihar: Rs 10 (by IPO or court fee stamp), (o) Punjab: Rs 10 (by IPO or court fee stamp).
3. Step 3: Cost of copies. (a) Central government: Rs 2 per page (A4/A3), Rs 5 per page for large format, free for BPL card holders, (b) Maharashtra: Rs 2 per page (A4), Rs 5 per page (A3), © Karnataka: Rs 2 per page, (d) Tamil Nadu: Rs 5 per page (higher than central), (e) Uttar Pradesh: Rs 2 per page, (f) Delhi: Rs 2 per page (free for BPL), (g) for inspection of records: Rs 5 per hour (first hour free in most states — subsequent hours Rs 5 each).
4. Step 4: Mode of payment. (a) IPO (Indian Postal Order): available at post offices — Rs 10 denomination (most common for offline applications), (b) court fee stamp: available at court premises (used in some states — e.g., Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu), © online payment: through the state's RTI online portal (e.g., rtionline.gov.in for central, aahwan.maharashtra.gov.in for Maharashtra — payment by debit card, credit card, net banking, UPI), (d) demand draft: in some states (DD in favour of the PIO — payable at the location of the public authority), (e) cash: in some states (paid at the PIO's office — a receipt is issued).
5. Step 5: BPL exemption. (a) Below Poverty Line (BPL) card holders are exempt from the application fee (they do not need to pay the Rs 10 fee — or the cost of copies), (b) the BPL card must be attached with the RTI application (as proof of BPL status), © the BPL exemption applies to both central and state government offices (but the BPL card must be from the same state — a BPL card from Maharashtra may not be accepted in Tamil Nadu), (d) some states also exempt women, SC/ST, and differently-abled persons from the fee (check the state's RTI Rules).
6. Step 6: Filing appeals. (a) First Appeal: file with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) within 30 days of the PIO's reply (or within 30 days of the expiry of the 30-day deadline — if the PIO did not reply), (b) the first appeal is free in most states (but some states charge a fee — e.g., Maharashtra does not charge for the first appeal), © Second Appeal: file with the State Information Commission within 90 days of the first appeal decision (or within 90 days of the expiry of the 45-day deadline — if the FAA did not reply), (d) the second appeal fee varies: (i) Maharashtra: Rs 20, (ii) Karnataka: Rs 20, (iii) Tamil Nadu: Rs 50, (iv) Central: free (no fee for the second appeal to the CIC).
7. Step 7: Key state-specific rules. (a) Maharashtra: the first state to pass an RTI law (Maharashtra Right to Information Act 2000 — before the central Act), (b) Karnataka: the Karnataka Right to Information Rules 2005 — the fee is Rs 10, and the second appeal fee is Rs 20, © Tamil Nadu: the highest application fee (Rs 50) — and the most restrictive rules (many exemptions), (d) Delhi: online filing through rtionline.gov.in (the central portal — Delhi does not have a separate state portal), (e) Kerala: the Kerala Right to Information Rules 2006 — the fee is Rs 10, and the rules are relatively progressive (some information is proactively disclosed), (f) Uttar Pradesh: the UP Right to Information Rules 2015 — the fee is Rs 10, and the rules are similar to the central rules.

See State RTI Rules and Find PIO.