The Right to Information Act, 2005 made current, sourced, and usable. A practitioner-ready reference for applicants, Public Information Officers, First Appellate Authorities, Information Commissioners, advocates, researchers, and journalists. Every page carries a date of last review, a citation for every factual claim, and a next step the reader can take.

The site is structured around the role a reader plays under the Act. Use the quick-start boxes below.

• **How to File RTI Online in India — 2026 step-by-step guide**. The complete walk-through of rtionline.gov.in with a ready-to-use English and Hindi template, Rs 10 online fee, 30-day reply rule, and the appeal path.
• Guide for applicants. The procedure, the fee, the timelines, the appeal path, and the penalty on the Public Information Officer.
• Template: first RTI application. A ready-to-use format with notes.
• Sample RTI applications. Thirty-plus drafts for common subjects, from an EPF withdrawal claim to a gram-panchayat works audit.
• Template: first appeal. Drafting under Section 19(1).
• Template: second appeal. Drafting under Section 19(3).
• **Why RTI applications get rejected**. The top five drafting mistakes and the exact fix for each, with bad-versus-good examples.
• Grounds for rejection. The common exemptions and how each is applied.

• Guide for Public Information Officers. Duties under Sections 5, 6, 7, and 11.
• Section 8(1)(j) after DPDP Rules, 2025. The five-question test, the file noting, and the reply. Updated 19 April 2026.
• Template: standard reply within 30 days.
• Template: partial disclosure with severability.
• Template: third-party notice under Section 11.
• Severability. Applying Section 10.
• Grounds for rejection. Each clause of Section 8(1) with the governing case law.

• Guide for First Appellate Authorities. Duties under Section 19(1) to 19(6).
• Template: speaking order on a first appeal.
• Justification for denial is mandatory. The speaking-order requirement.
• First appeal practice note. The grounds the First Appellate Authority is to address.

• The RTI Act, 2005 (as amended). The section-wise text, with the 2019 amendment and the 14 November 2025 amendment to Section 8(1)(j) marked on the page.
• RTI Rules. Central Government, Supreme Court, High Court, and State-level rules framed under Section 27 and Section 28.
• Case law library. Landmark and frequently cited decisions, indexed by section and by forum.
• Live tracker. The current composition of the Central Information Commission, the pendency position, and the recent notifications.

• Decoded. A plain-language walkthrough of each section of the Act, with an illustrative case. The section-by-section series is in preparation.
• Case law library. Indexed by section.
• Editorial blog. Notes on legislative changes, major judgments, and Commission orders.
• The Act text. Section-wise, with amendment overlays.

The Right to Information Act, 2005 — the full text, as amended by the Right to Information (Amendment) Act, 2019 and by Section 44(3) of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Amendment overlays are shown at Section 8(1)(j), 13(2), and 16(2).

Applicant guide · PIO guide · FAA guide — the three practitioner guides for the three roles under the Act.

Templates — eight ready-to-use drafts: first application, first appeal, second appeal, three PIO reply formats, third-party notice under Section 11, and an FAA speaking order.

Case law library — decisions of the Supreme Court, the High Courts, and the Information Commissions, indexed by section and by forum. Every entry carries a status note on whether the case remains good law.

Live tracker — the current Chief Information Commissioner, the list of Information Commissioners, and the pendency figures from the latest Commission annual returns.

Editorial blog — practitioner notes on legislative changes, major judgments, Commission orders, and status of the Commissions.

A short list of decisions that every practitioner should read. Follow the link for the facts, the holding, the ratio, and the current status.

• CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, (2011) 8 SCC 497. Scope of “information” under Section 2(f).
• Thalappalam Service Coop. Bank v. State of Kerala, (2013) 16 SCC 82. Test for “public authority” under Section 2(h).
• Girish Ramchandra Deshpande v. CIC, (2013) 1 SCC 212. Leading authority on Section 8(1)(j), now read against the 2025 amendment.
• ICAI v. Shaunak H. Satya, (2011) 8 SCC 781. Scope of the fiduciary-relationship exemption under Section 8(1)(e).
• High Court decisions. The site's index of High Court rulings on the RTI Act.

• Section 8(1)(j) after the DPDP Rules, 2025: the PIO's reply, the file noting, and the practice. 19 April 2026.
• DPDP Rules, 2025: The amendment to Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act. April 2026.
• Raj Kumar Goyal sworn in as Chief Information Commissioner; CIC reaches full strength. April 2026.
• Right to Information at twenty: the Information Commissions' report card for 2024-25. April 2026.

For the full archive, see the editorial blog or the root blog index.

Chief Information Commissioner. Raj Kumar Goyal, sworn in in December 2025. Predecessor: Heeralal Samariya, demitted office on 13 September 2025. The Central Information Commission returned to its full sanctioned strength of one Chief Information Commissioner and ten Information Commissioners in December 2025, for the first time in nine years.

Pendency. State Information Commissions carried an aggregate pendency of over four lakh appeals and complaints in 2024-25.

See Live tracker for the source links and the latest figures.

The site has three commitments.

• Current. Every page shows the date it was last reviewed against the Act, the rules in force, and the latest binding judgments.
• Sourced. Every factual claim carries a citation to the statute, the rule, the circular, or the judgment that supports it.
• Usable. Every guide closes with a template, a checklist, or a specific next step.

The site is written in the register of a Department of Personnel and Training or Central Information Commission bench-book. Neutral, authoritative, third-person, British-Indian spelling. The site is not a law firm and does not offer legal advice. Readers who need advice on a specific matter are advised to consult a practitioner. Correspondence on errors, omissions, and updates is welcome through the Contact link in the footer.

1. The Right to Information Act, 2005 (No. 22 of 2005).
2. The Right to Information (Amendment) Act, 2019 (No. 24 of 2019).
3. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (No. 22 of 2023), Section 44(3).
4. The Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, notified on 14 November 2025.

19 April 2026