Before drafting your application, it also helps to understand the law itself — see our companion guide, Right to Information Act 2005 Explained: Complete Guide to RTI in India, which covers the Act's history, salient features, appeal process, and penalties in detail.
Filing an RTI application is the single most important step in any Right to Information case. Under the RTI Act 2005, the appeal system exists only to enforce that the information you originally asked for is actually delivered — which means the quality of your RTI application format decides whether your request succeeds or gets rejected at the very first stage.
In this guide, we break down everything you need to draft a legally sound RTI application — the key definitions under the Act, what information is exempt from disclosure, the exact RTI application fee structure, the third-party information procedure, a ready-to-use RTI application sample format, and a complete step-by-step walkthrough of how to file RTI online at rtionline.gov.in.
Table of Contents
- Why Drafting Your RTI Application Correctly Matters
- Key Definitions Under the RTI Act (Section 2)
- What Information is Exempt from Disclosure? (Section 8)
- Public Interest Override & Severability (Sections 8(2) and 10)
- How to Make a Request for Information (Section 6)
- RTI Application Fee Structure
- What if You Apply to the Wrong Public Authority? (Section 6(3))
- Third Party Information Procedure (Section 11)
- RTI Filing Flowchart
- Sample RTI Application Format (Offline)
- Worked Example: AADHAR Enrolment RTI Application
- How to File RTI Online — Step-by-Step Process
- RTI Online Portals — Central Government & All Indian States
- Tips for Drafting RTI Questions That Don't Get Rejected
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Conclusion
1. Why Drafting Your RTI Application Correctly Matters
Many first-time applicants assume that if their RTI application gets rejected or ignored, the appeal process will fix everything. In reality, the First Appeal and Second Appeal mechanisms under the RTI Act exist only to ensure that the information sought in your original application is provided — they cannot rescue a poorly worded or legally flawed request. A clear understanding of the Act's provisions before you write a single word is what actually determines whether your RTI case succeeds.
2. Key Definitions Under the RTI Act (Section 2)
Before drafting any RTI application, it's essential to understand exactly what the law means by "information" and "right to information."
Section 2(f): What counts as "Information"?
Under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act 2005, "information" is defined extremely broadly. It means any material in any form, including:
- Records, documents, memos, e-mails
- Opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders
- Logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models
- Data material held in any electronic form
- Information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law currently in force
This last point is significant — it means your RTI application can sometimes reach information held by a private organization, as long as a public authority is legally entitled to access it.
Section 2(j): What is the "Right to Information"?
Section 2(j) defines the right to information as the right to information accessible under the Act, which is held by or under the control of any public authority. This right specifically includes:
- Inspection of work, documents, and records
- Taking notes, extracts, or certified copies of documents or records
- Taking certified samples of material
- Obtaining information in the form of diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes, or in any other electronic mode, or through printouts, where such information is stored in a computer or any other device
Section 2(n): Who is a "Third Party"?
A "third party" under Section 2(n) means any person other than the citizen making the request for information, and it also includes a public authority.
3. What Information is Exempt from Disclosure? (Section 8)
Not everything can be obtained through an RTI application. Section 8(1) of the RTI Act lists categories of information that a public authority is not obligated to disclose:
| Clause | Exempted Information |
|---|---|
| 8(1)(a) | Information prejudicially affecting the sovereignty and integrity of India, security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the State, relations with foreign States, or which could incite an offence |
| 8(1)(b) | Information expressly forbidden from publication by any court of law or tribunal |
| 8(1)(c) | Information that would cause a breach of privilege of Parliament or a State Legislature |
| 8(1)(d) | Commercial confidence, trade secrets, or intellectual property that would harm the competitive position of a third party |
| 8(1)(e) | Information available to a person in a fiduciary relationship |
| 8(1)(f) | Information received in confidence from a foreign government |
| 8(1)(g) | Information that would endanger the life or physical safety of a person, or identify the source of information/assistance given in confidence for law enforcement or security purposes |
| 8(1)(h) | Information that would impede the process of investigation, apprehension, or prosecution of offenders |
| 8(1)(i) | Cabinet papers, including records of deliberations of the Council of Ministers, Secretaries, and other officers |
| 8(1)(j) | Personal information with no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of privacy |
Important safeguard: Any information that cannot legally be denied to Parliament or a State Legislature cannot be denied to an ordinary citizen either.
4. Public Interest Override & Severability (Sections 8(2) and 10)
Section 8(2) allows a public authority to disclose even exempted information if the public interest in disclosure outweighs the harm to the protected interests.
Section 10 introduces the principle of severability — if a request is rejected because part of a record is exempt, the applicant must still be given access to any part of the record that does not contain exempt information and can reasonably be separated from the exempt portion.
5. How to Make a Request for Information (Section 6)
Any person who wants to obtain information must make a request to the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the concerned public authority. The request can be made:
- In writing (an offline RTI application), or
- Through electronic means (an online RTI application, wherever the facility is available)
- In English, Hindi, or the official language of the area where the application is filed
An RTI application must:
- Specify the particulars of the information sought
- Ordinarily not exceed 500 words
- Be accompanied by the prescribed fee
Importantly, an applicant is not required to disclose any reason for seeking the information, or any personal details beyond what is necessary to contact them.
6. RTI Application Fee Structure
| Fee Type | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application filing fee | ₹10 |
| Per page (A-3 size or smaller) | ₹2 per page |
| Per diskette or floppy | ₹50 |
| Inspection of records | Free for the first hour; ₹5 per subsequent hour |
| Below Poverty Line (BPL) applicants | No fee (BPL certificate must be attached) |
7. What if You Apply to the Wrong Public Authority? (Section 6(3))
If you file your RTI application with a public authority that does not hold the information — but another public authority does — Section 6(3) requires the receiving authority to transfer your application to the correct public authority within 5 days, and to immediately inform you that the transfer has taken place.
8. Third Party Information Procedure (Section 11)
Sometimes the information you request relates to, or was supplied by, a third party who has treated it as confidential. In such cases, Section 11 lays out a specific procedure:
- The PIO must give the third party written notice within 5 days of the intention to disclose the information
- The third party then has 10 days from receipt of the notice to make a representation against the proposed disclosure
- The PIO must consider this representation, but can still allow disclosure if the public interest outweighs any possible harm to the third party
9. RTI Filing Flowchart
Here is the step-by-step decision flow for filing an RTI request:
START → Identify Public Authority → Draft RTI Questions → Is Online RTI Submission Available?
If Yes: Visit RTI website → Submit RTI & Pay Fee → Save Registration Number → END
If No: Prepare RTI Application → Attach Indian Postal Order (fee) → Send by Registered A.D. / Speed Post → END
10. Sample RTI Application Format (Offline)
Use this ready-made RTI application format as a starting template:
Date – ___________
To,
The Public Information Officer,
(Name of the public authority)
(Office address of the public authority)Subject – Request for information under RTI Act 2005
Dear Sir,
(Write background of the case, if required)
Particulars of Information sought
Please provide me information under the following points –
- (Write RTI question #1)
- (Write RTI question #2)
- (Write RTI question #3)
- (Write RTI question #4)
- (Write RTI question #5)
An Indian Postal Order worth Rs. 10 has been attached with this application as the fee specified under the Act.
Thank you,
(Signature of the applicant)
(Name of the applicant)
(Address of the applicant)
11. Worked Example: AADHAR Enrolment RTI Application
Here's how the above RTI application sample looks when filled in for a real scenario — a citizen challenging illegal fee collection during AADHAR enrolment:
Date – 7th April, 2020
To,
The Central Public Information Officer,
Unique Identification Authority of India
Bangla Sahib Road, New Delhi-110001Subject – Request for information under RTI Act 2005
Dear Sir,
Please refer to complaint number __________ dated ______ registered via UIDAI toll free number 1947 wherein it was reported that the AADHAR operator is illegally demanding money for the enrolment process. Around fifteen days have passed, but I have not been informed of any action against the said operator.
Particulars of Information sought
Please provide me information under the following points –
- Please inform how much fee is prescribed for AADHAR enrolment.
- Please inform me what actions have been taken so far by the UIDAI on my complaint.
An Indian Postal Order worth Rs. 10 has been attached with this application as the fee specified under the Act.
Thank you,
Signature ..............
(Ramesh Naidu)
D. No. 27-14, Gandhi Nagar,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, Pincode – 520003
12. How to File RTI Online — Step-by-Step Process
Filing an RTI application online is faster and more convenient than the offline route — it eliminates printing and postal charges, and gives you an instant RTI registration number to track your request or file a first appeal online.
- Visit the RTI web portal — for Central Government authorities, go to rtionline.gov.in
- Click on the Submit Request option (this opens the Online RTI Request Form)
- Select the Ministry/Department/Apex Body and the specific Public Authority from the dropdown boxes
- Fill in the personal details of the RTI applicant
- In the "Text for RTI Request" field, write your RTI questions clearly
- Click Make Payment and pay the ₹10 fee online
- On successful payment, a registration number is generated — save this, as it lets you check your application status and file a first appeal online later
The process for submitting online RTI requests through State RTI web portals is almost identical to the Central Government process described above.
13. RTI Online Portals — Central & All States/UTs in India
Online RTI submission is available across nearly all public authorities under the Central Government. Among the states, online filing rolled out gradually — as of August 2019, only Delhi and Maharashtra had set up online RTI portals. A writ petition filed in the Supreme Court in August 2019 (Pravasi Legal Cell v. Union of India) sought a direction requiring all states to establish RTI web portals, and the Supreme Court subsequently directed all State Governments to set up and operationalise online RTI portals. Since then, several more states — including Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir — have rolled out their own portals, though coverage still varies (some cover every department, others only a handful of "empanelled" offices).
Central Government
| Authority | Online RTI Portal |
|---|---|
| Central Government (all Ministries/Departments/PSUs) | rtionline.gov.in |
States with a Dedicated Online RTI Portal
| State | Online RTI Portal |
|---|---|
| Maharashtra | rtionline.maharashtra.gov.in |
| Delhi | rtionline.delhi.gov.in |
| Uttar Pradesh | rtionline.up.gov.in |
| Chhattisgarh | rtionline.cg.gov.in |
| Karnataka | rtionline.karnataka.gov.in |
| Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh | rtionline.tn.gov.in rtionline.ap.gov.in |
A handful of other states and UTs — including Kerala, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and West Bengal — have also launched online RTI facilities in recent years (some department-specific, others state-wide), following the Supreme Court's 2023 directive in Pravasi Legal Cell v. Union of India. Coverage and reliability differ by state and department, and portal addresses do change.
States and UTs Where Offline Filing Is Still the Primary Route
For the remaining states and Union Territories — Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, West Bengal (outside the department noted above), Jharkhand, Goa, Punjab (outside select departments), Haryana, and the North-Eastern and smaller UTs — a fully functional, department-wide online portal is either not yet available or still being rolled out. In these cases, the safest route remains the offline RTI application described in Section 10 above: submit your written application with the ₹10 fee (via Indian Postal Order, Demand Draft, or as prescribed by the state's RTI Rules) to the PIO of the concerned public authority by Registered A.D. or Speed Post.
Tip: Since online RTI portal availability and URLs change over time, always cross-check the current status on your State Information Commission's official website before filing, or search "[Your State] RTI online portal" to confirm the live, official link.
14. Tips for Drafting RTI Questions That Don't Get Rejected
Drafting your RTI questions correctly is the single most important skill in the entire process — the success of your whole RTI case depends on it. A poorly framed request can get rejected outright in these situations:
- The request doesn't qualify as "information" under the Section 2(f) definition (for example, asking the PIO to give opinions, justify a decision, or answer hypothetical "why" questions rather than asking for existing records/documents)
- The request falls under an exemption specified in Sections 8 or 9 of the Act
To avoid rejection: frame each question as a request for a specific, existing document, record, data point, or action-taken report — not an opinion, explanation, or justification. Keep each point short, numbered, and unambiguous.
15. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
16. Conclusion
A successful RTI case starts long before any appeal is filed — it starts with a correctly drafted RTI application that clearly specifies the information sought, stays within the legal word limit, avoids exempted categories, and includes the right fee. Whether you choose to file online through rtionline.gov.in or submit an offline application by registered post, using the sample formats and drafting principles in this guide will significantly improve your chances of getting the information you need — the first time around.
For a broader look at the law's history, penalties, and appeal system, read our complete guide to the RTI Act 2005.
Need help drafting your own RTI application? Share the details of your case in the comments, and we'll help you frame it correctly.
