File an RTI application
For getting information from a central government ministry, department or office, under the Right to Information Act, 2005. For a Uttarakhand state department, file on RTI Online Uttarakhand instead.
Do this first
- 1
Check which portal is right for you
This guide is for information held by a central government ministry, department or office, such as the income tax department, railways or a central PSU. For a Uttarakhand state department, board or university, use RTI Online Uttarakhand instead.
- 2
Write what you want clearly
Describe the specific information you want. You don't have to give a reason for wanting it.
- 3
Keep ₹10 ready
The fee for a request to a central public authority is ₹10, payable online. It's free if you're below the poverty line, with a copy of your BPL certificate.
Step by step
- 1
Make sure it is a central public authority
RTI Online here is for ministries, departments and offices of the Central Government.
If the office is run by the Uttarakhand state government, a state department, corporation, Zila Panchayat or a state university, file on RTI Online Uttarakhand instead. Applications filed on the central portal for a state authority are returned, without any refund of the fee.
- 2
Write your request
Describe the information you want. Keep it specific. The form is meant for up to 500 words, but it can't be rejected only for being longer. The online form's text box holds about 3,000 characters; if your request is longer than that, put the rest in a PDF and upload it under 'Supporting Document'.
You don't have to give a reason for wanting the information, under Section 6(2) of the RTI Act. You only need to give your contact details.
- 3
Fill the form, pay the fee and submit
Go to 'Submit Request' on RTI Online, choose the ministry or department, and fill in the form. You do not need an account, though making one lets you see your past requests.
Pay the ₹10 fee online on the portal. The fee is set by Rule 3 of the RTI Rules, 2012. If you're below the poverty line, no fee is payable; attach a copy of your BPL certificate instead.
You'll get a registration number once you submit. Keep it. You need it to check status, pay any further fee, or appeal.
- 4
If you have picked the wrong public authority
Under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, if the information is held by, or more closely connected with, a different public authority, the one you applied to must transfer your request and tell you, within 5 days of receiving it.
- 5
Wait for a reply
The Central Public Information Officer must reply within 30 days of receiving your request, under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act. If the information concerns your life or liberty, the reply is due within 48 hours.
If a further fee is needed, for photocopies or other costs, you'll be told through "View Status" on the portal, and by email or SMS. Pay it the same way. The 30-day clock pauses between that intimation and your payment.
No reply within 30 days counts as a refusal, and you can file a first appeal. If the authority misses the 30 days, you get the information free, under Section 7(6).
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First appeal, if refused or ignored
File within 30 days of the refusal, or of the 30 days running out, under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act. It goes to an officer senior in rank to the CPIO in the same public authority, called the First Appellate Authority. There is no fee for this.
The Appellate Authority should decide your appeal within 30 days of receiving it, or 45 days at most if it records its reasons for the extra time, under Section 19(6).
You can only file this appeal online if you filed the request online. If you filed on paper, or your request was transferred on paper to an office that isn't on the portal, send your appeal on paper too.
- 7
Second appeal to the Information Commission
Still refused, or no decision from the First Appellate Authority? File a second appeal within 90 days, counted from the day the First Appellate Authority's decision reached you, or, if it never came, from the day it was due. That's under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act.
For a central public authority, this goes to the Central Information Commission. For a Uttarakhand state authority, it goes to the Uttarakhand State Information Commission instead.
Watch out
- RTI Online is the official portal for central RTIs. Private sites that offer to file your RTI for a fee are not the government.
- Filing on the wrong portal does not get your fee back if it turns out to be a state matter, so check first.
When an advocate can help
You can write and file the request yourself. An advocate helps when it gets stuck:
- Drafting and filing a first appeal, if the CPIO refuses or doesn't reply
- A second appeal to the Information Commission, if the first appeal doesn't resolve it
Sources
- RTI Online (central public authorities) · Government of India
- RTI Online Uttarakhand · Government of Uttarakhand
- RTI Online: FAQs · Department of Personnel and Training
- The Right to Information Act, 2005 (Sections 6, 7 and 19) · Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
- The Right to Information Rules, 2012 (Rules 3, 4 and 5: fees) · Department of Personnel and Training
Last checked . Spotted something out of date?
This guide explains how to report a problem through official channels. It is not legal advice.