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blog:rti-timelines-cheatsheet-2026 [2026/04/22 03:46] (current) – created - external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +{{htmlmetatags>metatag-keywords=(rti timelines cheat sheet,rti deadlines india,rti 30 days 48 hours,rti first appeal 30 days,rti second appeal 90 days,section 19 6 rti,section 7 1 rti time)&metatag-description=(Every RTI Act timeline in one table — 30 days PIO disposal, 48 hours life-and-liberty, 40 days §11 third-party, 30 days First Appeal, 45 days FAA max, 90 days Second Appeal. With what happens when each is missed.)}}
 +
 +====== RTI timelines cheat-sheet — every deadline in one table ======
 +
 +**Eight statutory clocks govern an RTI from filing to Second Appeal: 30 days (PIO disposal), 48 hours (life-and-liberty), 5 days (§6(3) transfer), 10 days (§11 third-party notice), 30 days (First Appeal filing), 30+15=45 days (FAA disposal), 90 days (Second Appeal filing), Rs 250/day delay penalty. A PIO who misses the 30-day window must supply information free of further charge; an FAA's silence beyond 45 days is directly appealable. Every applicant and every PIO should keep this one-page table taped above their desk.**
 +
 +{{page>_snippets:dpdp-banner}}
 +
 +===== The complete timeline table =====
 +
 +^ **Clock** ^ **Duration** ^ **Section** ^ **What happens on expiry** ^
 +| PIO disposal (standard) | **30 days** | §7(1) | Deemed refusal under §7(2); §7(6) — further information free of cost |
 +| PIO disposal (life & liberty) | **48 hours** | §7(1) proviso | Deemed refusal; §20 exposure heightened |
 +| §6(3) transfer (to correct PIO) | **5 days** | §6(3) | Transferring PIO's §20 liability crystallises |
 +| §11 third-party notice | **10 days** for representation | §11(1) | Silence — PIO may proceed with disclosure decision |
 +| §11 total disposal window | **40 days** (30 + 10) | §7(1) + §11 | Deemed refusal triggered at day 41 |
 +| §7(3) additional-fee intimation | Stops the 30-day clock | §7(3) | Clock re-starts from date of fee payment |
 +| First Appeal filing | **30 days** from PIO decision (or expiry) | §19(1) | Delay condonable on sufficient cause — §19(1) proviso |
 +| FAA disposal | **30 days**, extendable to **45** with written reasons | §19(6) | Non-decision at day 46 = deemed refusal; direct Second Appeal |
 +| Second Appeal filing | **90 days** from FAA decision (or expiry) | §19(3) | Delay condonable on sufficient cause |
 +| §20 penalty | **Rs 250 per day of delay**, capped at **Rs 25,000** | §20(1) | Recovered from PIO personally |
 +
 +→ **[[:tools:timeline-calculator|Use the RTI Timeline Calculator]]** to compute your specific deadlines with dates.
 +
 +===== The five most common timing traps =====
 +
 +==== 1. Counting the 30 days wrong ====
 +
 +The §7(1) 30-day clock runs from the **date the PIO receives the RTI** — not the date the applicant posted it, and not the date the applicant's fee was paid (unless the PIO invoked §7(3) fee intimation). For §6(3) transferred applications, the clock **re-starts** at the receiving PIO.
 +
 +==== 2. Treating the 48-hour proviso as symbolic ====
 +
 +The §7(1) proviso for life-and-liberty RTIs is **real**. A PIO who receives an RTI on behalf of a hospital-admission-pending patient and sits on it for 30 days is personally liable under §20. The 48 hours are **hours**, not working-days.
 +
 +==== 3. Missing the §11 40-day math ====
 +
 +When a third party is involved, the 40-day disposal window is strict:
 +  * Days 1-10: PIO issues §11 notice to the third party
 +  * Days 11-20: Third party responds (or doesn't)
 +  * Days 21-40: PIO decides on disclosure and communicates to the applicant
 +
 +A PIO who waits till day 28 to issue a §11 notice has lost the ability to honour the 40-day window. That's §20 territory.
 +
 +==== 4. Assuming the FAA has 45 days automatically ====
 +
 +§19(6) gives the FAA **30 days** as default. The **extension to 45 days** is conditional — the FAA must record **written reasons** for the extension. An FAA who silently takes 45 days is acting outside §19(6); that's Second-Appeal-ready on procedural grounds.
 +
 +==== 5. The 90-day Second-Appeal window — not 30 ====
 +
 +§19(3) gives you **90 days** for Second Appeal — three times the First Appeal window. This is often misremembered. The start date is:
 +  * Date of FAA decision (if delivered), OR
 +  * Expiry of 45 days after First Appeal filing (deemed FAA refusal)
 +
 +Pick the later date, subtract 90, that's your deadline.
 +
 +===== What to do when a timeline is missed =====
 +
 +==== The PIO missed 30 days ====
 +
 +**You (applicant) act:**
 +  - File First Appeal immediately under §19(1) — treat silence as deemed refusal under §7(2).
 +  - Claim §7(6) — request all further information free of fees.
 +  - Flag §20 exposure: mention the specific number of days of delay in your First Appeal so the FAA can refer for penalty.
 +
 +==== The PIO transferred under §6(3) but late ====
 +
 +**You (applicant) act:**
 +  - Demand (via First Appeal if needed) the date of transfer AND date of receipt at transferee.
 +  - If transfer took >5 days, point to transferring PIO's §20 exposure.
 +
 +==== The FAA missed 45 days ====
 +
 +**You (applicant) act:**
 +  - Treat it as deemed rejection.
 +  - File Second Appeal directly to the CIC/SIC under §19(3) without waiting for the FAA order.
 +  - In Second Appeal, raise both the substantive denial and the §19(6) procedural lapse.
 +
 +==== You (applicant) missed the 30/90-day appeal deadline ====
 +
 +**You can still act:**
 +  - File with a written explanation of the "sufficient cause" — illness, address change, loss of PIO order, bereavement.
 +  - The FAA (§19(1) proviso) and the Commission (§19(3)) have discretionary power to condone delay.
 +  - Attach documentary proof of the cause (medical certificate, address-change receipt).
 +
 +===== Bookmark-worthy phrases =====
 +
 +  * **"Deemed refusal under §7(2) has occurred as of [date]."** — open a First Appeal with this line.
 +  * **"The §7(3) fee intimation dated [date] stopped the clock; it re-started on [date of payment]."** — use in any dispute about the 30-day count.
 +  * **"The §11 third-party procedure was required and was not followed; the final PIO order is vitiated under the //Muniyappan// standard."** — for FAA/Second Appeal if §11 was skipped.
 +  * **"The FAA extended disposal beyond 30 days without recording written reasons as required by §19(6)."** — procedural challenge to late FAA order.
 +
 +===== Related =====
 +
 +  * **[[:tools:timeline-calculator|RTI Timeline Calculator]]** — enter your dates, see your deadlines
 +  * **[[:faa-first-appeal-timelines|First Appeal timelines — full guide]]**
 +  * **[[:pio-deemed-refusal-section-7-2|Deemed refusal under §7(2)]]**
 +  * **[[:pio-rti-reply-guide|PIO RTI Reply Guide]]**
 +  * **[[:act:section-7|RTI Act §7 — annotated]]**
 +  * **[[:act:section-19|RTI Act §19 — annotated]]**
 +
 +----
 +
 +//Posted: 22 April 2026 · Author: Shrawan Pathak, Editor RTI Wiki//
 +
 +~~NOCACHE~~
 +
 +{{tag>blog timelines cheat-sheet §7 §19 deadlines}}
  
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blog/rti-timelines-cheatsheet-2026.txt · Last modified: by 127.0.0.1