How to file an RTI request

You can ask any "public authority" - a central or state department, a ministry, a municipal body, a panchayat, a public-sector bank, a government school or hospital, or any body substantially funded by the government - for information it holds.

That includes records, documents, file notings, emails, contracts, reports, and inspection of works or records. You can ask for the reasons behind a decision, not just the decision itself.

There are narrow exemptions (Section 8) - for example information that would harm national security, a live investigation, or personal privacy with no public interest. Even then, if only part of a file is exempt, the rest must still be given to you.

Every public authority has a Public Information Officer (PIO). Your application goes to the PIO of the office that holds the information you want.

If you are not sure which office holds it, send it to the one most likely to - if they do not hold it, the Act requires them to transfer your application to the correct authority within five days.

There is no prescribed national form. A plain sheet of paper or a simple typed letter is valid, and many states also offer an online portal.

1. 1Address it to "The Public Information Officer" of the relevant office.
2. 2Write your questions clearly and specifically - one point per question, and ask for documents by name or date range where you can.
3. 3State clearly that you are filing under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
4. 4Give your name and a postal address for the reply; an email address helps too.
5. 5Attach the fee, and keep a copy of the whole application for your records.

For central government bodies the application fee is Rs 10, paid by cash, postal order, demand draft, or online where available. State fees are similar but can differ, so check the authority's own rules.

If you are below the poverty line (BPL), you are exempt from the fee - attach a copy of your BPL card. There may be small per-page charges for photocopies, which the PIO will tell you about before sending large records.

The PIO must reply within 30 days of receiving your application.

If the information concerns the life or liberty of a person, the reply must come within 48 hours.

If the PIO does not reply in time, that is treated as a "deemed refusal" - and it gives you the right to appeal.

A refusal, a partial answer, or silence is not the end of the road. The Act builds in a free, two-step appeal.

1. 1First appeal: within 30 days, write to the "First Appellate Authority" - a senior officer in the same public authority. There is no fee.
2. 2Second appeal: if you are still not satisfied, within 90 days you can appeal to the Central or State Information Commission, an independent body.
3. 3The Information Commission can order the information released, and can fine a PIO up to Rs 25,000 for wrongly denying or delaying it.