Jammu & Kashmir (UT) RTI Guide 2026

The Right to Information Act, 2005 applies fully in Jammu & Kashmir (UT). State-specific rules under §27 govern fee, format, and First Appeal procedure. Capital: Srinagar / Jammu. State Information Commission: https://jkccs.net. RTI fee: ₹10. Online portal: Not yet — file by post. This guide gives you the operational rules + sample RTIs + key state authorities + escalation ladder for Jammu & Kashmir (UT) citizens.

Reviewed on: 23 April 2026.

1. Online (where available): Use the state portal Not yet — file by post.
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 via Indian Postal Order (IPO) in favour of “Accounts Officer, [Department]” — OR via the online portal payment gateway.
5. BPL applicants: No fee. Attach BPL/Antyodaya/AAY card.

J&K UT Administration (post-Aug 2019) · Lieutenant Governor's Secretariat

For Central Government RTIs filed FROM Jammu & Kashmir (UT), use rtionline.gov.in which routes to the relevant central ministry.

To:
The Public Information Officer,
[Department name],
Government of Jammu & Kashmir (UT),
[Department address, Srinagar / Jammu].

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 ₹10 via IPO 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 Jammu & Kashmir (UT),
[Address, Srinagar / Jammu].

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,
Jammu & Kashmir (UT) State Information Commission,
[Address from https://jkccs.net].

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

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

• Anuradha Bhasin v. UoI (SC 2020) — connectivity restrictions — currently controlling on this state's RTI practice.
• 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
• MGNREGA wage delay → MGNREGA RTI
• 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 Jammu & Kashmir (UT) SIC.
6. Last resort — Writ under Article 226 to the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir (UT).

• CPGRAMS (Central): pgportal.gov.in
• State portal: Not yet — file by post
• State SIC: https://jkccs.net
• National RTI helpline: Use the state's general grievance number.

₹10 under the Jammu & Kashmir (UT) RTI Rules. BPL exempt under §7(5). Pay via Indian Postal Order (IPO) for postal filings or via the online portal where available.

No — Jammu & Kashmir (UT) does not yet have a unified RTI online portal. File by Registered Post to the concerned department's PIO. Some specific departments may have their own grievance portals.

The Jammu & Kashmir (UT) SIC composition is updated on its website https://jkccs.net. 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 High Court of Jammu & Kashmir (UT). The HC has supervisory jurisdiction over the SIC.

(a) Indian Postal Order (IPO) in favour of the Accounts Officer of the concerned department; (b) Demand Draft in some districts; © Online via the state portal where it accepts payment; (d) Cash at counter during walk-in filing (get receipt).

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

• Right to Information Act, 2005 — cic.gov.in
• Jammu & Kashmir (UT) RTI Rules (state notification)
• Jammu & Kashmir (UT) State Information Commission — https://jkccs.net
• Central Information Commission — cic.gov.in

Last reviewed: 23 April 2026 by the RTI Wiki editorial team.

RTI in Jammu and Kashmir — complete guide on rules, fees, and filing after the abrogation of Article 370:

1. Step 1: Background. (a) before August 5, 2019: J&K had its own RTI Act (the Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act, 2009 — which was similar to the Central RTI Act, 2005 — but with some differences — e.g., the fee was Rs 10 — and the appeal structure was different), (b) after August 5, 2019: Article 370 was abrogated — and J&K became a Union Territory (with effect from October 31, 2019 — the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019), © the Central RTI Act, 2005 was extended to J&K (with effect from October 31, 2019 — and the J&K RTI Act, 2009 was repealed — the Central RTI Rules also apply — with some modifications), (d) the J&K State Information Commission became the J&K Union Territory Information Commission (with the same powers — under the Central RTI Act).
2. Step 2: How to file RTI in J&K. (a) the RTI application is filed with the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the concerned public authority (the department — e.g., the Deputy Commissioner's office, the PWD, the Health Department, the Education Department), (b) the fee is Rs 10 (payable by court-fee stamp — or IPO — or cash — at the PIO's office — or through the online portal if available), © the application can be in English, Hindi, or Urdu (the official languages of J&K — the PIO must accept applications in any of these languages), (d) the PIO must respond within 30 days (48 hours if the information concerns life or liberty — under Section 7(1)), (e) the first appeal is filed with the First Appellate Authority (FAA — designated by the public authority — within 30 days of the PIO's response — or non-response), (f) the second appeal is filed with the J&K Information Commission (within 90 days of the FAA's order — or non-response).
3. Step 3: Online filing. (a) the J&K government has an online RTI portal (rtionline.gov.in — select Jammu and Kashmir as the state — or the J&K-specific portal if available — the fee can be paid online — through net banking, UPI, or credit/debit card), (b) the online portal is available for most departments (but not all — some departments may not be listed — in which case the application must be filed offline), © the online application generates a registration number (which can be used to track the status — and the PIO's response is sent electronically), (d) if the online portal is not working: file offline (by post — or by hand — with the court-fee stamp of Rs 10).
4. Step 4: Common issues in J&K. (a) PIO not designated (after the reorganisation — many departments have not designated PIOs — or the PIOs are additional charge — and do not respond), (b) winter inaccessibility (in the winter — especially in Kashmir Valley — many offices are inaccessible — due to snow — and the PIOs do not respond — the 30-day timeline is difficult to meet), © security-related exemptions (the PIO may cite Section 8(1)(a) — security and strategic interests — for many queries — especially on defence, border, and police — which may be overused), (d) language issues (the application may be in English — but the records are in Urdu — and the PIO may claim that translation is not possible — or charge for translation), (e) the Information Commission is slow (the J&K Information Commission has a backlog — and the second appeals take years — the Commission has limited staff and infrastructure), (f) RTI activists face harassment (in J&K — some RTI activists have faced harassment — and intimidation — for filing RTI on sensitive topics — like land acquisition, security forces, and government contracts).
5. Step 5: File RTI on J&K-specific issues. (a) land records: ask the Deputy Commissioner (or the Revenue Department) for: (i) the land records of [village/area] (the khasra, khatoni, jamabandi — for the year [year]), (ii) the status of land acquisition (for [project] — the notification, the compensation, the possession), (b) domicile certificates: ask the DC's office for: (i) the status of domicile certificate application (number [number] — the current status — and the reason for delay), (ii) the number of domicile certificates issued (in [district] — from [date] to [date] — and the number pending), © government jobs: ask the J&K Services Selection Board (or the PSC) for: (i) the status of recruitment (for [post] — the selection list — and the appointment letters), (ii) the number of vacancies (in [department] — and the recruitment timeline), (d) development projects: ask the PWD/R&B for: (i) the status of [road/project] (the budget, the expenditure, the timeline — and the physical progress), (ii) the quality reports (of the construction — the third-party quality audit — and the defects), (e) public distribution: ask the CAPD (Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution) for: (i) the ration card status (and the PDS supply — in [area] — for the month [month]), (ii) the stock position (of food grains — at the FPS level — and the distribution).
6. Step 6: J&K Information Commission. (a) the Commission is located in Jammu (and Srinagar — during the summer — the Commission moves between the two capitals — as per the Darbar Move tradition — though the Darbar Move was discontinued in 2021 — the Commission may still operate from both locations), (b) the second appeal is filed with the Commission (in writing — with the RTI application, the PIO's response, the first appeal, the FAA's order — and the fee — if any), © the Commission can: (i) order the PIO to provide the information (within a specified timeline), (ii) impose a penalty (Rs 250 per day — up to Rs 25,000 — under Section 20(1)), (iii) recommend disciplinary action (against the PIO — under Section 20(2)), (d) the Commission's orders are binding (but the PIO can appeal — to the High Court of J&K and Ladakh — under Article 226), (e) the Commission's orders are available on the website (jksic.nic.in — or the CIC website — for reference).
7. Step 7: Practical tips. (a) file in the local language (file in Urdu — or Hindi — if the records are in Urdu — the PIO cannot reject on language grounds — under Section 6(1)), (b) cite the Central RTI Act (after October 31, 2019 — the Central Act applies — cite the Central Act — not the repealed J&K Act), © be specific (in J&K — the PIOs are sensitive — especially on security, land, and border issues — be specific — and avoid vague queries — which can be rejected under Section 8(1)(a)), (d) follow up (the PIOs in J&K may not respond — follow up with the FAA — and the Commission — and use RTI to track the status), (e) use the online portal (if available — for faster filing and tracking — and for electronic records), (f) Example: A citizen filed RTI with the DC's office — asking for the land acquisition status of his land — the PIO did not respond — the citizen filed a first appeal — the FAA ordered the PIO to respond — the PIO provided the records — showing that the compensation was sanctioned but not paid — the citizen used the RTI reply to get the compensation of Rs 12 lakh.

See J&K RTI and Find PIO.