India's RTI Act is Central legislation, but information lies with both the Centre and the States. The filing route depends on who holds the record. A request for your passport file goes Central. A request for your land record goes State. Filing at the wrong portal wastes 30 days, sometimes 60, and at second appeal the Commission will dismiss for non-exhaustion of the proper channel.

Most State portals were built between 2012 and 2019 under the Digital India initiative. Quality varies. Kerala and Maharashtra run reliable portals. Many northern States have portals that accept applications but never route them to the SIC. This directory tells you what works and what does not.

• Section 6 of the RTI Act, 2005 — application must be made to the PIO of the public authority holding the record.
• Section 27 — each State Government makes its own RTI Rules governing fee and mode of payment.
• Section 28 — the “competent authority” (for example, State Legislature Secretariat, High Court) makes its own procedural rules.
• State RTI Rules typically mandate a Rs 10 fee payable by Indian Postal Order, Demand Draft, or Banker's Cheque to the Accounts Officer of the department. A few States accept online payment.

• Jammu and Kashmir — postal to J&K SIC, Srinagar or Jammu.
• Ladakh — postal to Ladakh Administration, Leh.
• Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya — North-Eastern states largely post-only for State matters. Union Territory offices in each go Central.
• Uttarakhand — a dysfunctional portal exists; postal is faster.
• Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand — post only for reliable delivery.
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Chandigarh — UT administrations; use the UT Secretariat address.
• Goa, Sikkim — post.

• rtionline.gov.in — for all Central Government Ministries, Departments, PSUs, and statutory bodies under Central jurisdiction. Rs 10 fee via UPI, card, or net banking. Life-and-liberty applications flagged separately.

Before filing, answer each of these in one line:

1. Who holds the record? Central ministry, State department, municipal body, PSU, constitutional authority.
2. Is the matter on the Central List, State List, or Concurrent List? (Seventh Schedule, Constitution of India.)
3. Has the issue already reached the Information Commission? If yes, file a second appeal, not a fresh RTI.
4. Does the department have a designated PIO and a designated online portal? Check the department's own website.
5. What is the current fee and mode of payment? Rs 10 is standard, but some States levy Rs 50 or more.
6. Is this a life-or-liberty matter? If yes, flag for 48-hour response under Section 7(1) proviso.
7. Do I need to file parallel RTIs? Some subjects straddle Central and State records.

1. Identify jurisdiction. Central or State, using the Seventh Schedule check above.
2. Open the portal URL from this page. Do not Google; fake portals exist.
3. Register on the State portal. Most require a one-time email + OTP.
4. Draft your RTI using the First RTI template or AI-Drafter guide.
5. Pay the fee on the portal.
6. Save the acknowledgement, the reference number, and a PDF of the submission.
7. File a parallel Speed Post with Rs 10 IPO, marked “Parallel to online application no. [X]”. This is your insurance.
8. Diarise the 30-day reply window.
9. Follow up by email on day 25 if no response.
10. Appeal to the First Appellate Authority on day 31 under Section 19(1).

For any State RTI that matters, file simultaneously on the State portal AND by Speed Post. You pay Rs 10 twice and save a month when the portal silently drops your file. The Speed Post receipt is proof of filing; the portal gets you any email alerts; whichever replies first wins.

This technique cuts practitioner waiting time by 40 percent on unreliable State portals (UP, Bihar, MP, Rajasthan).

No. It covers only Central Government Ministries and Departments. State matters go through the State portal or by post to the State department's PIO.

File parallel RTIs — one Central, one State. GST is a good example: policy and rate matters go Central (CBIC), registration and assessment go State (SGST office).

No. The PIO has a duty to transfer under Section 6(3) if the information lies with a different public authority in the same jurisdictional chain. It does not bridge inter-State records.

No single app covers all States. The CIC mobile app is Central-only. Third-party apps exist but are not official; verify each before use.

Use Section 4. Every public authority must publish its PIO list. Search the department's website or send a brief letter asking for the PIO's designation and address before filing the full RTI.

Use the directory table above to find your State's status. If it says Working, click through and file online. If it says Unreliable or Post only, download the First RTI template, print, attach IPO, post by Speed Post. Either way, see our page on Central vs State RTI to confirm jurisdiction first.

• Central vs State RTI: Which Should You File?
• RTI Fees by State and Online Portal Directory
• State RTI Portal Rankings (scored 0-50)
• State-by-State RTI Rules
• File RTI Online in India (Central): 12 Steps
• rtionline.gov.in walk-through
• First RTI template (Copy-Paste)
• First Appeal Format (30-Day Rule)
• Using AI to Draft Your RTI
• Tracking Your Appeal via AI

1. Right to Information Act, 2005. Sections 6, 19, 27, 28.
2. Seventh Schedule, Constitution of India (Central/State/Concurrent Lists).
3. Central Information Commission, cic.gov.in.
4. State Information Commission websites (verified April 2026).
5. Department of Personnel and Training, Guide on the RTI Act, 2005 (2013 updated).
6. Government of India, rtionline.gov.in.

Last reviewed on: 20 April 2026