Process of filing RTI: A Step-by-Step Guide

The right to information is implicitly guaranteed by the Constitution. However, with a view to set out a practical regime for securing information, the Indian Parliament enacted the Right to Information Act, 2005 and thus gave a powerful tool to the citizens to get information from the Government as a matter of right. This law is very comprehensive and covers almost all matters of governance and has the widest possible reach, being applicable to Government at all levels- Union, State and Local as well as recipients of government grants.

The Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005 is an Act of the Parliament of India “to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens.” Simply put, it allows citizens of the country to request information from any public authority about its work, actions, etc.

Right to Information Act 2005 mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information. It is an initiative taken by Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to provide a– RTI Portal Gateway to the citizens for quick search of information on the details of first Appellate Authorities, PIOs etc. amongst others, besides access to RTI related information/disclosures published on the web by various Public Authorities under the government of India as well as the State Governments.

A citizen has a right to obtain information from a public authority in the form of diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through print-outs provided such information is already stored in a computer or in any other device from which the information may be e-mailed or transferred.

Importance of the Right to Information Act

The Right to Information Act is considered to be one of the strongest pieces of legislation at the disposal of the common man. It gives citizens the power to question public authorities and their activities, thereby not only promoting transparency, but demanding accountability as well. The Act is considered landmark legislation in the fight against corruption.

Objective of the Right to Information Act:

The basic object of the Right to Information Act is to empower the citizens, promote transparency and accountability in the working of the Government, contain corruption, and make our democracy work for the people in real sense. The Act is a big step towards making the citizens informed about the activities of the Government.

Who all are covered under the Act?

In the spirit of promoting transparency and accountability within the government, the RTI Act covers various departments. While almost all the departments and bodies controlled or funded by the Central Government (even at the state level) are covered under the Act, departments funded by the State Governments are accessible only in those States which have State RTIs.

Departments dealing with defence and national security, however, do not fall under the purview of RTI. This includes bodies like National Security Guard, the Intelligence Bureau, and Border Security Force, etc. The state of Jammu and Kashmir is also exempt from the RTI Act.

Where to file an RTI application?

An RTI application can be filed in one of three ways, RTI process steps are following:

1. Online: Visit rtionline.gov.in and login to file an RTI.
2. Via post: send your application to the concerned department via speed post or registered post. 3. In person: Visit the Public Information Officer of the concerned department and he/she will guide you further. For instance, if you reside in Bengaluru and have queries about the water supply in your area, you can approach the municipal body in charge of supplying water to your area (in this case, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board), either at their office or through their website.

Process of filing RTI:

RTI step by step process is very easy:

1. Determine which department your query concerns and who the Public Information Officer there is.

For Central Public Authorities, check out this website. For State Public Information Officers, go to this website.

2. Write a simple, to-the-point application form detailing your questions clearly.

The application may be typed or neatly hand-written. The application may preferably be in writing though an e-mail is accepted as a mode as per law. In case an applicant has difficulty in writing the application, he can verbally request the PIO or the APIO who are duty bound to put the request in writing. Some Public Authorities have devised their own format for the applications for which the applicants may refer to web-sites of those Public Authorities. But there is no compulsion under the law to stick to such Performa. Applications cannot be rejected on the ground that they were not in the prescribed Performa.

3. Pay the fee.

The payment can be made via Cash or Demand Draft or Indian Postal Order or can even be submitted to the treasury. Proof of payment (such as challans and receipts) must be enclosed with the application. Online options for the payment are also available if you fill an online application.

A person who desires to seek some information from a public authority is required to send, along with the application, a demand draft or a banker’s cheque or an Indian Postal Order of Rs. 10/- (Rupees ten), payable to the Accounts Officer of the public authority as fee prescribed for seeking information. The payment of fee can also be made by way of cash to the Accounts Officer of the public authority or to the Assistant Public Information Officer against proper receipt. The applicant may also be required to pay further fee towards the cost of providing the information, details of which shall be intimated to the applicant by the PIO as prescribed by the Right to Information (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005.

4. Submit the application either via post, online or in person.

Response to RTI request

By law, RTIs must be replied to within 30 days. In fact, in life and death cases, RTIs must be responded to within 48 hours. In case the application is sent through the Assistant Public Information Officer or it is sent to a wrong public authority, five days shall be added to the period of thirty days or 48 hours, as the case may be.

RTI process steps online:

1. Go to the RTI online website of the central government. The following screen will appear:

2. You have 2 options: either register or proceed without registration. If you want to file RTI application frequently, then you should consider registering. To register at RTI online website, click at “Sign Up Here” link. The following screen shall appear:

3. After filling all the details, click “Submit”. Now, your registration process is completed. You need to verify and activate your account. Click on “Click here to login”. The following screen will then appear:

4. Enter username, password and security code and then click “login” button. The following screen will then appear:

5. Enter activation key, and security code. Then click Activate button to activate your account. After clicking, your account will be activated and following screen will appear:

6. Click on “Submit Request” tab to file your RTI Application. On clicking, “GUIDELINES FOR USE OF RTI ONLINE PORTAL” screen will be displayed. This screen contains various guidelines for using RTI online portal. Click on the check box “I have read and understood the above guidelines.” and then click on submit button. After clicking, following screen will appear:

7. Fill all details and click on the “Make Payment” button. If you belong to “Below Poverty Line”, you don’t need to pay fees. You have to simply click submit button and your application will be filed. After clicking Make Payment, the following screen will appear:

Enter your card details and click the PAY button. After clicking, proceed in the same way as you do for any other online payment. And this this is how you file RTI step by step process.

You’re done! The RTI request has been filed following the process of filing RTI. It’s good to see how quick and cost effective the process is. Share it with your friends to make them aware of their rights.