Evidence brief

How to file an RTI request in India: a step-by-step guide

How to file an RTI request in India: who can apply, finding the PIO, the Rs 10 fee, 30-day and 48-hour deadlines, exemptions, appeals and safety tips.

Published 18 October 2026, Guide

The Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) is one of the most useful accountability tools in India. It lets citizens ask public authorities for records they hold: files, correspondence, contracts, inspection reports, attendance registers and more. This guide explains how to file a request, what it costs, how long it takes and what to do if you are refused.

Who can apply

Any citizen of India can file an RTI request. You do not need to be a lawyer or a journalist, and under Section 6(2) of the Act you do not have to give a reason for asking. You must give an address where the reply can be sent.

Find the right public authority and PIO

A "public authority" includes central, state and local government bodies, and bodies owned, controlled or substantially financed by government. Each must designate a Public Information Officer (PIO), the official who receives and answers requests, and Assistant PIOs who can receive them on the PIO's behalf.

1. Identify which office actually holds the record. A district office often holds files that the ministry in the capital does not.
2. Check the authority's website for its RTI page. Under Section 4, public authorities are expected to publish details of their PIOs and much routine information proactively. The answer may already be online.
3. If you send the request to the wrong authority, the PIO must transfer it to the right one within five days and tell you. It still helps to get it right first time.

Write the request

A clear, narrow request is answered faster and is harder to refuse. Write in English, Hindi or the official language of the area. Under the central RTI Rules, 2012, an application should ordinarily not exceed 500 words, but it cannot be rejected on that ground alone.

A simple structure:

1. To: The Public Information Officer, [name of office and address].
2. Subject: Request for information under Section 6 of the RTI Act, 2005.
3. Information sought: a numbered list of specific records, with dates or periods. For example, "Certified copies of the work orders issued for road repair in [ward] between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026."
4. Format: say whether you want photocopies, certified copies, electronic copies or to inspect the files.
5. Fee: how you have paid, or that you are claiming the below poverty line (BPL) exemption.
6. Your name, address, date and signature.

Fees and payment

For central government public authorities, the application fee under the RTI Rules, 2012 is Rs 10. Copies cost Rs 2 per page for A4 or A3 paper, and inspecting records is free for the first hour, then Rs 5 for each further hour. Offline, you can pay in cash against a receipt, or by demand draft, banker's cheque or Indian Postal Order payable to the Accounts Officer of the public authority.

Applicants below the poverty line pay no fee if they attach a BPL certificate from the appropriate government. If the PIO misses the deadline, you are entitled to the information free of charge.

States make their own RTI rules, so fees and payment methods for state bodies differ. Check the state government's or State Information Commission's website before you file.

Online or offline

For central ministries, departments and other central public authorities, you can file on the RTI Online portal and pay by internet banking, debit or credit card, RuPay or UPI. The same portal handles first appeals and lets you track status. It does not accept requests for state government bodies; those are returned without refund. Several states run their own online RTI portals; others accept requests only by post or in person.

Offline, send the request by registered or speed post, or hand it in at the PIO's office and ask for a dated receipt.

Timelines

• 30 days from receipt is the standard deadline for a reply.
• 48 hours if the information concerns the life or liberty of a person. State this clearly at the top of your request and explain why.
• 35 days if you file through an Assistant PIO, because five days are added.
• If the PIO asks for further fees for copies, the time between that notice and your payment is not counted.

No reply within the deadline is treated as a refusal, which you can appeal.

Exemptions

Section 8(1) lists categories a PIO may withhold. In outline they cover information that would harm national security or foreign relations; material a court has forbidden; breach of legislative privilege; trade secrets; information held in a fiduciary relationship (a relationship of trust); information from foreign governments; information that would endanger someone's life or expose confidential law-enforcement sources; information that would impede an investigation or prosecution; cabinet papers before a decision is taken; and personal information. Several exemptions can be overridden where the public interest in disclosure outweighs the harm, and most no longer apply to events more than 20 years old.

Since November 2025, an amendment made by the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 has narrowed Section 8(1)(j), so requests for personal information about individuals are now more likely to be refused. Under Section 24, certain intelligence and security organisations are excluded, but information about allegations of corruption and human rights violations must still be provided.

A refusal must cite the specific exemption. If only part of a record is exempt, the PIO should release the rest.

First appeal

If you get no reply, a refusal, an incomplete answer or a fee you think is unreasonable, file a first appeal with the First Appellate Authority, an officer senior to the PIO in the same authority. File within 30 days of the deadline passing or of receiving the reply. The officer should decide within 30 days, extendable to 45. Central first appeals can be filed on RTI Online. Attach your request and any reply, and explain briefly what is wrong.

Second appeal

If the first appeal fails, you can file a second appeal within 90 days with the Central Information Commission for central bodies, or the State Information Commission for state bodies. Attach copies of the request, the PIO's reply, the first appeal and the appellate order, with an index. The Central Information Commission accepts second appeals online. A commission can order disclosure and can fine a PIO who refused or delayed without reasonable cause up to Rs 250 a day, to a maximum of Rs 25,000. Commissions often carry large backlogs, so expect delays.

How journalists use RTI replies

An RTI reply is an official response from a public authority, which makes it strong evidence. Good practice:

• Keep the request, the reply, the envelope or portal record and all appeals together, with dates.
• Quote the reply exactly, and note what was withheld and under which section.
• Treat a reply as the authority's record, not as proof of what happened. Check it against audit reports, court records or tender data.
• Give the authority a chance to respond before publication.

See our guide to reading an audit report for a useful companion source.

Safety notes

• If the subject is sensitive, consider whether a person less exposed to retaliation, or an organisation, should file instead.
• Do not file about your own employer from a work device or work email.
• Ask only for what you need. Very specific questions can reveal what you already know.
• If you are an insider, read the source safety guide before deciding whether to file, report or contact journalists through the secure tip form.

For the wider records landscape, see the India public file.

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• bis.gov.in/PDF/pdf/rti/RTI2005.pdf
• ncte.gov.in/website/pdf/RTI/RTI_Rules_2012_31_07_2012.pdf
• rtionline.gov.in/
• cic.gov.in/second-appeal
• sflc.in/sflc-ins-statement-on-the-operationalisation-of-amendment-to-the-rti-