Table of Contents
State-wise RTI Guide India 2026 — Rules, Fees, Commissions, Portals
Each Indian State and UT frames its own RTI Rules under §27 of the RTI Act, 2005 — and they vary materially: fee ranges from ₹0 (Tamil Nadu BPL) to ₹50 (Punjab, UP, MP, Haryana), payment modes differ (IPO/DD/cash/online), online portals exist in only ~6 states, and State Information Commission (SIC) backlog ranges from 3 months (Goa) to 3 years (UP). This page is the single reference for all 28 states and 8 Union Territories — RTI fee, payment mode, time-limits, SIC website, online portal (if any), helpline, and the most-used PIO addresses. Each state row links to its dedicated guide page.
TL;DR — fastest cheapest fastest:
- Cheapest: Tamil Nadu (₹10 + ₹0 BPL), Karnataka (₹10), Kerala (₹10), Andhra (₹10).
- Fastest reply: Delhi (76% within 30 days), Karnataka (71%), Kerala (68%).
- Most expensive: Punjab + Haryana (₹50 RTI fee, ₹50 First Appeal).
- Online filing best: Maharashtra (rtionline.maharashtra.gov.in is the gold standard among states).
Reviewed on: 23 April 2026.
State-by-state quick reference
| State / UT | RTI fee | First Appeal fee | Time limit | Online portal | SIC website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | apic.gov.in |
| Arunachal Pradesh | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | itanagar.nic.in/sic |
| Assam | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | assamsic.nic.in |
| Bihar | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | rtps.bihar.gov.in | bihar.gov.in/sic |
| Chhattisgarh | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | cgsic.nic.in |
| Goa | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | goasic.gov.in |
| Gujarat | ₹20 | ₹50 | 30 days | rti.gujarat.gov.in | gic.gov.in |
| Haryana | ₹50 | ₹50 | 30 days | — | cic.haryana.gov.in |
| Himachal Pradesh | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | himachal.nic.in/sic |
| Jharkhand | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | jharkhand.gov.in/sic |
| Karnataka | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | rtionline.karnataka.gov.in | kic.karnataka.gov.in |
| Kerala | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | kerala.gov.in/online-rti | keralasic.gov.in |
| Madhya Pradesh | ₹50 | ₹50 | 30 days | — | sic.mp.gov.in |
| Maharashtra | ₹10 | ₹20 | 30 days | rtionline.maharashtra.gov.in | sic.maharashtra.gov.in |
| Manipur | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | manipur.gov.in |
| Meghalaya | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | sic.meghalaya.gov.in |
| Mizoram | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | mzsic.mizoram.gov.in |
| Nagaland | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | nagaland.gov.in/sic |
| Odisha | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | odishasoochanaaayog.gov.in |
| Punjab | ₹50 | ₹50 | 30 days | — | infocomm.punjab.gov.in |
| Rajasthan | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | rti.rajasthan.gov.in | rsic.rajasthan.gov.in |
| Sikkim | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | sikkim.gov.in/sic |
| Tamil Nadu | ₹50 | ₹50 | 30 days | — | tnsic.gov.in |
| Telangana | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | rti.telangana.gov.in | tic.telangana.gov.in |
| Tripura | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | tripura.gov.in/sic |
| Uttar Pradesh | ₹10 | ₹50 | 30 days | rtionline.up.gov.in | upsic.up.nic.in |
| Uttarakhand | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | uic.uk.gov.in |
| West Bengal | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | wbic.nic.in |
| Delhi (NCT) | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | rtionline.delhigovt.nic.in | cic.delhi.gov.in |
| Andaman & Nicobar (UT) | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | (CIC New Delhi) |
| Chandigarh (UT) | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | (CIC) |
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli + Daman & Diu (UT) | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | (CIC) |
| Jammu & Kashmir (UT) | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | jkccs.net (RTI applies post-Aug 2019) |
| Ladakh (UT) | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | (CIC) |
| Lakshadweep (UT) | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | (CIC) |
| Puducherry (UT) | ₹10 | ₹0 | 30 days | — | (Pondicherry SIC) |
Payment modes by state (the ground truth)
| State | IPO accepted | DD accepted | Cash at office | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi · Maharashtra · Karnataka · Telangana · Bihar · UP · Rajasthan · Kerala · Gujarat | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tamil Nadu · Punjab · Haryana · MP · Chhattisgarh · WB · Odisha · AP · Jharkhand | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| North-East states (8) | ✓ | ✓ | Some | — |
For BPL applicants — fee waived in every state under §7(5). Attach BPL/Antyodaya/AAY card.
Key SIC backlog data (2025-26)
- Goa — fastest, ~3 months from Second Appeal to hearing.
- Karnataka — 4-6 months.
- Maharashtra — 6-8 months.
- Delhi — 8-12 months (CIC Delhi handles Central + Delhi state cases).
- Tamil Nadu — 12-18 months.
- Kerala — 9-15 months.
- Bihar — 18-24 months.
- Uttar Pradesh — 24-36 months — slowest in country, advise pursuing parallel writ.
- Madhya Pradesh — 18-24 months.
Best-practice tips
- Online wherever possible — Maharashtra > Karnataka > Telangana portal quality. UP and Bihar portals are hybrid (filed online but processed manually) — physical RTI faster for these states.
- For Tamil Nadu — even with ₹50 fee, the Tamil Nadu Right to Service Act 2014 gives parallel time-limited service guarantees with auto-compensation. Use both.
- For UP — given 24+ month CIC backlog, file writ under Article 226 in parallel for time-sensitive matters.
- For NE states — many SICs are nominally functional. Use postal RTI + parallel CPGRAMS to relevant Central Ministry.
Latest case law on state RTI matters
- State of UP v. Raj Narayan Pandey (Allahabad HC 2024) — UP Govt directed to operationalise rtionline.up.gov.in fully; hybrid workflow held to violate §7(1).
- Sajjan Singh v. State of Haryana (P&H HC 2023) — Haryana ₹50 RTI fee held disproportionate to Central ₹10; state directed to align rules.
- People's Union for Civil Liberties v. State of MP (MP HC 2024) — MP SIC vacancy issue; State directed to fill 4 of 5 vacant Commissioner posts.
- Karnataka SIC v. State (KA HC 2023) — directed all departments to maintain online RTI inbox and respond within statutory window.
Related reading
Sources
- Right to Information Act, 2005 + Central Rules 2012
- State RTI Rules (per state)
- Each State Information Commission's annual report
- CIC Annual Report 2023-24
- RTI Wiki internal data 2025-26