Procedure to File RTIs

How and where to file an RTI

“Nothing could be more axiomatic for a democracy than the principle of exposing the process of government to relentless public criticism and scrutiny.” (Francis E. Rourke, 1960, p. 691).

The RTI came into existence in 2005 and its main aim is to empower the citizens with information about the institutions that influence and control them and at the same times make these institutions accountable to the public for their actions so as to ensure transparency in their functioning. RTI is a part of the fundamental rights of every citizen under article 19 and the importance of the right to know has been expounded by the Supreme Court as early as in 1976 in the case of Raj Narain vs. State of UP.  The court said that that people cannot speak or express themselves unless they know. In a democratic country it becomes all the more important because people are the masters and they need to be informed of the way in which the government is serving them. To ensure that the objective of this act is not defeated the procedure of filing an RTI is also very simple and easy so as to enable even a layman to enforce its rights of having the required information.

The two major questions which have to be addressed when it comes to the procedural aspect of RTI are as follows-
a)How to file an RTI?,
b)Where To file an RTI,
c)On what grounds can the RTI Be rejected?
First of all one can get the entire act on the website of Department of Personnel and Training www.persmin.nic.in and they can even be accessed on the RTI website http://righttoinformation.gov.in/rtiact.html.
The two important questions of how to file an RTI and where to file an RTI are discussed below.

How to file an RTI?

There is no specific procedure of filing an RTI application. . Your application can even be on a simple plain paper However, many states and some ministries and departments have prescribed formats. You should apply in these formats. Please read rules of respective states to know. Applicants however need to ensure that their contact details including name and correspondence address appear on the application.

Where To file an RTI?

Citizens can exercise their right to information by filing an application with a Central Public Information Officer (CPIO). All the administrative levels of the government will have a CPIO who will give the required information to people who file an application or a query under the RTI Act.

But the applicants should not file the application under the portal
https://rtionline.gov.in/, for public authorities under the State Governments, including Government of NCT Delhi because if done so their application would be returned without the refund amount.
Another vital point of which the people should have the knowledge of is that who will be providing them with the relevant information when they file an RTI. So with regards to this one or more officers in every government department have actually been  designated as public information officers (PIO) who are given the function of nodal officers. They have to collect the information which are sought by the people from various wings of their concerned department and they provide you the requested information. Besides that certain officers have also been appointed as the Assisted Public Information Officers to aid in the task of supplying the relevant information.

To locate the concerned public information officer one can refer to the list of PIO’s/APIO’s and Appellate authorities for all center and state department ministries available online at www.rti.gov.in. Finally after the filing of the application you should receive the information within 30 days. In case you have filed your application with Assistant PIO then information has to be made available within 35 days. In case the matter to which the information pertains affects the life and liberty of an individual, information has to be made available in 48 hours.

Thus since the procedure of filing an RTI application is not at all cumbersome, it should be availed by all the citizens because it empowers us an individual and at the same it also helps to ensure that the institutions of the government which are meant to serve us are working  efficiently. Therefore this right has actually helped to fill the communication gap between the public authorities and the individual and it has been all the more easier by the simple procedure of filing an RTI.