What is the RTI Act and Its Purpose? | How to File an RTI Act Application?

The purpose of the RTI Act is not just to obtain information, but to empower citizens to ensure transparency, accountability, and the control of corruption. This is the hallmark of true democracy.

Hello, I, Vivek Sharma, welcome you to my blog. About 20 years ago, a law was passed that gave the common man a legal weapon to stop the arbitrariness of government officials. This is your Right to Information, which empowers every citizen to directly ask questions and obtain legal answers from government and semi-government officials.

However, the problem is that due to lack of information, many people are unable to obtain information even after submitting the correct application. Therefore, it is important to understand the correct way to write an RTI application and what to do if information is not received even after submitting the correct application. We will explore all this in detail in today’s blog.

What is the RTI Act and Why is it Important?

First, understand which departments are responsible for providing information. The RTI Act applies to all central and state government departments, public sector undertakings, and government-funded institutions. Through this, you can request information on schemes, budget expenditures, recruitment processes, contracts, and copies of decisions.

The Connection Between RTI and Article 19 of the Constitution

This law is linked to Article 19 of our Constitution, meaning any Indian citizen can obtain information without giving a reason. However, certain matters cannot be sought through RTI, such as information related to national security, information prohibited by a court, personal information about an individual, or records related to intelligence agencies. These are all exceptions specified in Sections 8 and 9 of the RTI Act, or they are excluded from the scope of RTI.

Now, let’s turn to the main question: how to file an RTI application. First, identify the department you are contacting and clearly write its name. Every department has a designated Public Information Officer (PIO). You must address your application to that person.

There is no specific format in the RTI Act, it should just contain the applicant’s name, address, mobile number and the information sought should be clearly written, along with it you also have to mention in what form you want the information, that is, you have to tell us the written answer to your questions or a certified copy of any document, whatever you want, and yes, a fee of ₹10 has to be paid for this, which you can pay by postal order, demand draft or cash deposit.

Now we divide the application into six parts, in which the address in the first part will be Public Information Officer, Municipality Ramnagar, Madhya Pradesh, in the second part your details like name, complete address, mobile number and email address etc., in the third part the details of the information sought will be given.

For example, suppose you need details of an urban road contract from the Municipal Corporation office, you would write: Please state which contractor was awarded the work of constructing a concrete road from Ramakant Sharma’s house to Surendra Kaushik’s house in Ward No. 23, Ramnagar, in the year 2024, when was it awarded, and when was it completed. Also, provide a certified copy of the relevant contract.

Information Exempted Under Sections 8 and 9 of the RTI Act

Here, you will also state the form in which you require the information: a written reply or a copy of the documents. In the fourth part, you will have to write a small declaration that the information you are seeking does not fall under the exceptions under Sections 8 and 9 of the RTI Act. In the fifth part, details of the fee will be written, such as the postal order number, date, and amount. Please note that this ₹10 fee will not be applicable for people below the poverty line.

However, they must mention in their application that the applicant falls below the poverty line and therefore, no fee is payable. The sixth part will contain the date and place, and you must sign the application. You can submit the application directly to the relevant office and obtain a receipt, or send it by speed post. Nowadays, applications can also be filed through the RTI Online Portal which is quite convenient.

Now the question is, what happens after submitting the application? The Act provides that the department must provide information within 30 days of receiving the application. However, in reality, many offices do not take this seriously. Where providing information could expose corruption, officials deliberately withhold information, sometimes providing incorrect answers, sometimes sending incomplete information, or simply not responding on time.

In such situations, the RTI Act also provides for appeals. Appeals are made at two levels, the first of which is under Section 19A. If the Public Information Officer does not respond or gives a wrong answer, you can file an appeal with the First Appellate Authority after 30 days of the application and within the next 30 days.

That is, the first appeal must be filed between 30 and 60 days after the original RTI application and within 60 days. If the delay exceeds 60 days but is due to some special reason, the appeal can still be accepted.

The second appeal is filed under Section 193. This means that if you haven’t received satisfactory relief or information from the first appeal, you can file an appeal directly with the Central Information Commission or the State Information Commission. Please note that this appeal must be filed within 90 days of the decision on the first appeal.

In the appeal, you must clearly state your objections to your original application, if you received a response from the Public Information Officer, and attach copies of all documents related to the appeal.

Another important penalty: Section 20 of the RTI Act states that if a Public Information Officer deliberately withholds information, provides incorrect or incomplete information, or destroys records, they can be fined ₹250 per day, up to a maximum of ₹2,000. This fine is not levied on the department, but rather on the officer’s own pocket. Interestingly, the amount of the fine imposed on the officer is also distributed to the applicant.

If the matter warrants, the appellate authority may initiate disciplinary action against the guilty officer. So, take steps in the right direction and don’t lose heart. The appeal process will require some patience, but try to appear before the appellate authority yourself when your appeal is heard.

Another important point to note is that RTI should be used responsibly. Its purpose is to make governance transparent, not to harass others. Some people misuse it by posing as RTI activists, which is completely wrong.

I hope you enjoyed today’s blog. If you believe that knowledge about RTI should reach everyone, please share this blog with your friends and family. If you want a blog on a specific topic, please let us know in the comments and We have written other blogs too which are for Public Information you must read them also. That’s all for now. See you soon in the next blog. Thank you. Jai Hind.