vs:cic-vs-sic-second-appeal
Table of Contents
CIC vs SIC — which Information Commission for second appeal?
TL;DR. CIC (Central Information Commission, Delhi) handles second appeals where the PIO was a Central authority. SIC (State Information Commission) handles second appeals where the PIO was a state authority. Identify the original PIO's parent body first.
Decision rules
| Original PIO at | Second Appeal forum |
| Central ministry / PSU / Indian Railways HQ | CIC |
| State government dept / state PSU / state university | SIC of that state |
| Police (state police) | SIC of that state |
| Municipality / Panchayat | SIC of that state |
| Constitutional body (ECI, CAG, RBI, etc.) | CIC |
Backlog & speed
| Forum | Pending appeals (Apr 2026) | Avg disposal time |
| CIC | ~38,000 | 18-24 months |
| UP SIC | 45,000+ | 24-36 months |
| Maharashtra SIC | 28,000 | 18-30 months |
| Karnataka SIC | 22,000 | 18-30 months |
| Kerala SIC | 6,000 | 9-15 months (best in India) |
| Bihar SIC | paralysed (zero commissioners 2026) | indefinite |
Wrong forum filing
If you file at the wrong forum, the appeal will be returned. Bihar's paralysed SIC is leading citizens to file Article 226 writs in HC instead — see RTI Act state implementation.
Related
Last reviewed: 25 April 2026.
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vs/cic-vs-sic-second-appeal.txt · Last modified: by 127.0.0.1