Help
Everything the live portal spreads across a user manual PDF, an FAQ, a guidelines page and a help desk phone number.
How your request moves
The whole journey — request, reply, appeal, second appeal — with the days the law allows at each stage.
The same journey in words
- The CPIO has 30 days to reply to your request (section 7(1)).
- Sent to the wrong body? It must transfer your request within 5 days, and the new body gets 30 days (section 6(3)).
- No reply in 30 days counts as a refusal (section 7(2)).
- Unhappy with the reply, or no reply at all? File a first appeal within 30 days (section 19(1)). It is free.
- No reply at all also lets you complain to the CIC under section 18 — with no time limit.
- The appellate authority decides in 45 days (section 19(1)). Against you, or silent? Appeal a second time to the CIC or SIC within 90 days (section 19(3)).
- What happens
- Your remedies
- Settled
- Not settled — next step
Frequently asked questions
Who can file an RTI application?
Any citizen of India. No age limit, no reason required, no lawyer.
What does it cost?
₹10, fixed by the RTI Rules 2012. Nil if you are below the poverty line and provide a certificate. A first appeal is free.
How long does a reply take?
30 days. 48 hours where life or liberty is concerned. Silence past 30 days counts as a refusal you can appeal.
Can I file against a State department here?
No. This portal covers Central Government public authorities only. State subjects go to your State's own RTI portal or State Information Commission.
Do I have to say why I want the information?
No, and nobody may ask. Section 6(2) of the RTI Act, 2005.
What if I paid and got no registration number?
On the live portal a payment can take 24 to 48 working hours to reconcile, and there is a Payment Reconciliation page for recovering the request. In this prototype the number is issued immediately, because no money moves.
What you are entitled to
- Any Indian citizen may file. No age limit, no reason, no lawyer.
- ₹10, fixed by the RTI Rules 2012. Nil if you are below the poverty line, on production of a certificate.
- A reply within 30 days. Within 48 hours where life or liberty is concerned.
- A first appeal within 30 days of the decision, or of the date the reply was due. No fee.
- A second appeal or complaint to the Central Information Commission, which is a separate body.
Writing a request that gets answered
- Ask for records, not opinions. An officer must hand over what exists; they need not write you an essay.
- Name the period. “Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026”, not “recently”.
- Number your points. One question per number gets one answer per number.
- Do not ask why a decision was taken. Ask for the file notings that show how it was taken.
If you are refused
Sections 8 and 9 of the Act list the grounds on which information may be withheld. A refusal must cite one. If it does not, or if you think it has been misapplied, that is exactly what a first appeal is for — and it is free.
Accessibility
This prototype targets WCAG 2.1 AA and the GIGW 3.0 design guidance. Text size and high contrast can be changed from the bar at the top of every page, and the setting follows you across the site without JavaScript. Every step works with scripting switched off, on a keyboard alone, and with a screen reader. Nothing here is an image of text.
Found something that does not work for you? In a real service this line would carry a named officer and a response time. In a prototype it is an admission that this is where that commitment belongs.
Getting a human
There is no help desk behind this prototype and no telephone number to call, because there is nobody to answer it. The live portal's desk runs 9:00 to 17:30, Monday to Friday, and currently warns of high call volume.