Table of Contents
RTI Glossary — 40 terms every PIO, FAA and applicant should know
Forty essential terms from the Right to Information Act, 2005 and its ecosystem — CPIO, FAA, CIC, SIC, suo motu, ratio decidendi, deemed refusal, severability, speaking order, fiduciary, third party, condonation. Each entry carries the Act section (where applicable), a plain-language definition, and a pointer to the relevant practitioner guide.
A
APAR — Annual Performance Appraisal Report. The formal annual evaluation record of a government servant. Under §8(1)(j) as amended by DPDP 2025, it is personal information; accessible to the officer themselves, not to third parties except on §8(2) public-interest override.
Aggrieved person — The person entitled to file a First Appeal under §19(1). Includes the original applicant and, under §19(4), a third party whose interests are affected by the PIO's disclosure decision.
Applicant — Any citizen of India making an RTI request under §6 of the Act.
B
BPL applicant — Below-Poverty-Line applicant. A person holding a BPL certificate. Fully fee-exempt under §6(1) read with §7(5). No additional proof may be demanded beyond the certificate.
C
Cabinet papers — Records of the deliberations of the Council of Ministers, Secretaries and other officers, protected under §8(1)(i) during the pendency of the matter. After the decision is announced and the matter concluded, cabinet papers are disclosable (per R.K. Jain SC 2013).
Central Information Commission (CIC) — The apex information-appeal body for Central Government matters, constituted under §12. Hears Second Appeals under §19(3) against the First Appellate Authority's decisions.
Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) — The officer designated under §5(1) to receive and dispose of RTI applications in a Central Government public authority. Often used interchangeably with “PIO” in Central contexts.
Citizen — Under §3, the right to information is conferred on citizens of India. Foreign nationals and registered companies lack direct standing; a citizen-representative filing on behalf is the workaround.
Condonation of delay — The discretionary power of the FAA (under §19(1) proviso) or the Information Commission (under §19(3)) to admit a late appeal if sufficient cause is shown.
Constructive refusal — A PIO action that, while not a formal rejection, has the effect of denying access — e.g., demanding an unreasonable copy-fee, or providing unrelated information. Treated as refusal for appeal purposes.
Copyright ground — The §9 rejection ground. Applies only where copyright subsists in a person OTHER than the State. State-owned copyright is no ground for refusal.
D
Deemed refusal — The legal fiction under §7(2) whereby silence from the PIO beyond the 30-day window is treated as a refusal. The applicant may file First Appeal under §19(1) without a formal rejection order.
Delhi HC / Delhi High Court — A frequent forum for RTI writ petitions given the concentration of Union Ministries. Notable RTI precedents from Delhi HC: Bhagat Singh v. CIC (§8(1)(h) standard), Secretary General, SC v. Subhash Chandra Agarwal (CJI office, later SC-affirmed 2019).
DPDP Act, 2023 / DPDP Rules, 2025 — The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (notified 11 August 2023) and its implementing Rules notified on 14 November 2025. §44(3) of the Act substitutes §8(1)(j) of the RTI Act — personal information is now exempt cleanly, with the public-interest override in §8(2).
Disposal — The final action on an RTI application — providing information, rejecting with reasons, transferring under §6(3), or severing under §10. The §7(1) 30-day clock is satisfied by any one of these.
E
Exempt organisation — An intelligence or security organisation notified in the Second Schedule, exempt from RTI under §24. Examples: IB, R&AW, NTRO, DGQA. Proviso retains RTI for allegations of corruption or human-rights violations.
F
Fee — Under the Central RTI Rules, 2012: Rs 10 application fee; Rs 2 per page beyond the first 20 pages; Rs 5 per 15-minute inspection after the free first hour. State Rules vary.
Fiduciary relationship — Under §8(1)(e), information held in a fiduciary capacity is exempt. The Supreme Court in Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) and Jayantilal Mistry (2015) narrowed this — examiner-examinee and regulator-regulated are NOT fiduciary; question-paper preparation and mark-scheme moderation (Shaunak Satya) ARE.
First Appellate Authority (FAA) — The officer senior in rank to the PIO, designated under §19(1) to hear First Appeals. Acts in a quasi-judicial capacity; must issue reasoned “speaking” orders.
First Appeal — Appeal under §19(1) against the PIO's decision or deemed refusal. Must be filed within 30 days; FAA decides within 30 days (extendable to 45 with written reasons).
G
Grievance Officer — The officer designated under various statutes (including IT Rules 2021, DPDP Act 2023) to receive grievances. For RTI matters, this role is distinct from the PIO — check the public authority's organisational structure.
I
Information — Under §2(f), any material in any form — records, documents, memos, emails, opinions, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data in any electronic form — held by a public authority.
Inspection — The right under §2(j) to inspect works, documents and records in the public authority's custody. First hour free; subsequent hours at Rs 5 per 15 minutes under Central Rules.
Intelligence / Security organisations — Notified under §24 Second Schedule. Absolutely exempt from RTI with narrow §24 proviso for corruption / human-rights allegations.
L
Landmark ruling — In RTI Wiki's case-law database, a curated flag indicating the most-cited authorities every PIO and FAA should know. The current landmark set includes 38 rulings spanning 1975 (Raj Narain) to 2024 (ADR - Electoral Bonds).
Life-and-liberty proviso — Under §7(1), requests concerning the life or liberty of a person must be answered within 48 hours.
M
Muniyappan standard — The rule that omission of §11 third-party notice (where required) is procedurally fatal — the final PIO order is liable to be set aside on appeal.
P
Partial denial — A response where some information is provided and some is withheld under a §8 exemption. Requires a reasoned severance order under §10(2).
Personal information — Under §8(1)(j) as amended by DPDP 2025, information relating to any person. Exempt automatically; override available only via §8(2) public-interest balancing.
Public authority — Under §2(h), a body (a) owned, controlled or substantially financed by the government, or (b) constituted by statute. Two-step test under Thalappalam (SC 2013).
Public Information Officer (PIO) — The officer designated under §5 to receive and dispose of RTI applications. Liable to §20 penalty for refusal without reasonable cause or non-response within §7(1).
Public interest override — The balancing provision in §8(2) — a PIO may disclose information otherwise exempt under §8(1) if the public interest in disclosure outweighs the harm. Requires written reasoning.
R
Ratio decidendi — The binding legal principle of a case — the reason for the decision. Distinguished from obiter dicta (the judge's passing observations, persuasive but not binding). In a PIO speaking order, cite the ratio, not the obiter.
Record — Under §2(i), includes documents, manuscripts, files, microfilms, reproductions of images, and computer-produced material. Very wide inclusive definition.
Reasoned order — An order under §7(8)(i) / §19 that states the specific §8 sub-clause invoked, the factual nexus, and the applicant's appeal rights. A bare “§8(1)” citation is NOT a reasoned order.
S
Second Appeal — Appeal under §19(3) against the FAA's decision (or non-decision). Filed to the CIC (Central) or SIC (State) within 90 days; delay condonable for sufficient cause.
Section 6(3) transfer — Transfer of an RTI to the correct public authority where the information lies elsewhere. Must be done within 5 days; the 30-day §7(1) clock restarts on receipt at the transferee PIO.
Severability (§10) — The rule that a PIO must release the non-exempt portion of a record after redacting the protected part, with a written order under §10(2) citing severance reasoning.
Speaking order — A reasoned judicial or quasi-judicial order that articulates the facts, issues, legal analysis and conclusion. The FAA's §19 order must be a speaking order — summary one-line affirmations are routinely set aside on writ review.
State Information Commission (SIC) — The state-level equivalent of the CIC, constituted under §15. Hears Second Appeals against First Appellate Authority decisions in State Government matters.
State Public Information Officer (SPIO) — Sometimes used for the §5 PIO in State Government contexts.
Substantial financing — Under Thalappalam (SC 2013), State financing that is “significant in character” rather than token. A 3% one-time grant typically does NOT meet the threshold; a continuing 50% budget support does.
Suo motu disclosure — Proactive disclosure under §4(1)(b) — the 17 categories of information every public authority must publish without awaiting a §6 application.
T
Third party — Under §11, a person (individual or body) who supplied information to the public authority in confidence. Must be given 10 days' notice before the PIO decides on disclosure.
Transferred application — An RTI routed to the correct public authority under §6(3). The 30-day clock runs from the date of receipt at the transferee PIO, not from the date of original filing.
W
Whistleblower — A person making a protected disclosure under the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014. Their identity is protected under §8(1)(g) of the RTI Act and supplementary statute; absolutely not disclosable to the subject of the complaint.
Writ-proofing — The PIO discipline of drafting reasoned orders that survive not just First and Second Appeal but also a writ petition under Article 226 before the High Court. Minimum elements: statutory anchor, sub-clause, fact-to-exemption nexus, severance, appeal rights.
Related reading
Last reviewed: 22 April 2026.
Discussion