HOW TO FILE AN RTI APPLICATION

An RTI application can be made on a sheet of plain paper and can have any number of questions. It should be addressed to the public information officer of the department or organisation concerned. Rs.10/- should be paid as application fee by cash or through postal order, court fee stamp or demand draft. Questions should be direct and leave no room for the information officer to give vague replies. Information officer has to reply within 30 days of receipt of the application, failing which he is liable to a fine of 250 per day. Appeal can be filed with the head of the department in which the application was filed, if the information officer fails to reply within the deadline. Second appeal can be filed before the central or state information commission if applicant is not satisfied with the replies.

According to Section 2(f) of the RTI Act, information means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails , press releases, circulars, contracts, samples, models, data held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law in force.

File an RTI application in 5 simple steps:

1. Identify the department/subject of your query. Is it a state or a central subject? Keep in mind that different rules apply even though they fall under the same Act.

2. Do a little background research. Find out what information falls under the purview of the department concerned.

3. Phrase your questions wisely and precisely. Ask for a copy of the documents. Fill up the RTI application form (application form given).

4. Attach court fee stamp or Indian Postal Order of worth Rs 10 with the application and keep a copy of it with you for future reference.

5. Post your application or hand it over personally to the ‘TAPAL” also called as Inward/Outward section of the respective department.

The essential requirements of an application filed under the RTI Act are:

(a) The applicant should be a citizen of India.
(b) The application should contain the particulars of information sought.
(c) The evidence of payment of application fee should be enclosed.
(d) The address of the applicant should be available for sending a reply.

Personal details except those necessary for contacting an applicant are neither required to be mentioned nor can be called for by the PIO.