Generate a Right to Information (RTI) application draft to request information from a government office.
The Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) gives every Indian citizen the legal right to request information from any "public authority" — government departments, public sector undertakings, and bodies substantially financed by the government. It was enacted to promote transparency and accountability in the functioning of public authorities, and has become one of the most widely used tools by ordinary citizens to get status updates on complaints, verify how public funds are spent, or obtain copies of official records that affect them personally, such as sanctioned building plans or pension file status.
An RTI application is often far more effective than an informal inquiry or complaint, because the law imposes a strict statutory deadline — the Public Information Officer (PIO) must respond within 30 days (or 48 hours for matters concerning life and liberty), and failure to do so, or providing incomplete information, can be appealed and may attract a penalty against the errant official. This legal accountability is what makes RTI distinct from simply asking a government office a question — a plain query can be ignored indefinitely, but a properly filed RTI application generally cannot.
Enter your name, contact details, and address, the name of the public authority/department you're approaching, the PIO's office address, and the specific information you're requesting — one clear point per line. The tool assembles a properly formatted RTI application citing Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, listing your numbered information requests, referencing the prescribed fee, and citing the 30-day statutory response deadline under Section 7(1). Everything runs locally in your browser.
The single biggest factor in getting a useful RTI response is how precisely you phrase your questions. Vague queries ("please explain why my complaint was not resolved") often draw evasive or incomplete answers. Precise, factual queries ("please provide a certified copy of the action taken report on complaint number X dated Y") are much harder to sidestep. Where possible, ask for specific documents, dates, file numbers, or officer names rather than general explanations — under the RTI Act, a PIO is only obligated to provide existing "information" (documents, records, data) and not to answer opinion-based questions, create new information, or provide legal interpretations.
The standard application fee is Rs. 10, payable by demand draft, banker's cheque, postal order, or increasingly through online RTI portals depending on the department; applicants who fall Below the Poverty Line (BPL) are exempt from this fee upon producing a BPL certificate. If additional documents beyond a certain number of pages are requested, the PIO may charge a further per-page fee, communicated to you before providing the documents. If you do not receive a response within 30 days, or if you are dissatisfied with the response received, you have the right to file a first appeal with the Appellate Authority within that same department, and if still unresolved, a second appeal to the State or Central Information Commission, as applicable.
The standard fee is Rs. 10, payable by demand draft, banker's cheque, postal order, or online payment depending on the department. Applicants in the BPL category are exempt from this fee.
30 days from receipt of the application under normal circumstances, or 48 hours if the information concerns the life or liberty of a person.
You can file a first appeal with the Appellate Authority within the same public authority, and if still unresolved, a second appeal to the State or Central Information Commission.
Many central government departments accept RTI applications through the official RTI Online Portal (rtionline.gov.in); state departments may have their own separate online portals or require postal/in-person submission.
Certain categories are exempt under Section 8 of the RTI Act, including information affecting national security, personal information with no public interest justification, and certain cabinet deliberations, among other specified exemptions.
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