The Right to Information is citizen friendly and most progressive legislation ever passed in India. It has been in regulation from past 10 years. The citizens have access to get the information of Government functioning, its role, etc,. through RTI.

The act promotes transparency in Indian Government institutions. A common man with the knowledge of RTI can ask any Government agency to provide information. If the organization fails to do within 30 days, a penalty is charged on them.

Let’s read all about RTI.

What is RTI?

RTI acts refers to the right to access of information for all Indian citizens adhered by a Public authority. In the constitution of India it has given a status of fundamental right under Article 19 (1). This act also defines remedy, when the citizens get the rejection for such a right.

Note: Article 19 (1) affirms that every Indian citizen has freedom of expression and speech. They have the right to know what role the Government plays, how it works, etc.

An applicant can file a RTI request under the RTI Act. He/She needs to visit the web portal of Departments/Ministries of Government of India. If the applicant does not acquire a decision on an RTI request, he/she can go for an appeal. It will be under section 19 (3) before the Information commission.

What is Information?

Information is described as any fact or a set of facts presented in any form that exists. It includes documents, e-mails, orders, records, etc. It also involves information related to any private body. This information can be accessed under any law by the public authority.

What is the Central Information Commission?

The CIC is a legal body constituted by the Government of India. It is beneath the Right to Information Act, 2005. The jurisdiction of commission reaches out to all over authorities of the Central public. Powers and functions of the commission are mentioned in 18,19,20 & 25 articles of the Right Act, 2005. These sections are broadly related to the judgment on the following-

1. Second appeal to provide information
2. Direction to keep record
3. Self-evident disclosures
4. Inquiry into complaint in ability to file the RTI, etc.

The commission decisions are final and conclusive.

What is the difference between appeal and Complaint at CIC?

A second appeal is filed against the FAA order by a public authority. It is made under section 19 (3) of the RTI Act. The appeal is also made when the FAA extends the specific time to make a decision. An applicant can directly file the complaint under section 18 on the ground mentioned in section 18 (1).

The primary difference between the appeal and complaint is-

• The commission may pass an order governing the CPIO in case of appeal. It provides the requested information to the applicant in applicable cases.
• The commission cannot give such orders in case of complaint.

Note: The FAA stands for First Appellate Authority. He/She is a senior officer in rank to the CPIO. The officer handles the citizen complaint against the decision of the CPIO.

When can you file an online complaint to CIC?

You can make complaints to the information commission under Section 18 (1) in the following circumstances-

1. Applicant unable to submit his/her RTI application or they refuse to take RTI application.
2. The PIO denies providing the information.
3. The information is not provided within the particular time.
4. The extra fee is being charged as specified in the rules.
5. The information is misleading, incomplete or false.
6. Complaints in the matter like noncompliance under section 4.

You can make following complaint under Section 18 (2)-
When the CIC or SIC is satisfied with the reasonable grounds to make an inquiry, the complaint can be initiated as per the case.

What are documents required in PDF/JPG/GIF format?

You will need to submit the following details for the RTI complaint-

1. Health certificate
2. BPL certificate
3. Age proof
4. Documents supporting the case

Note: The documents should be in JPG/GIF/PDF format. Moreover, the file size should not be more than 2 MB.

What is the online procedure to submit an RTI complaint application?

1. Visit the official portal of RTI.
2. Tap on the “submit request” option.
3. A “Guidelines for use of RTI Online Portal” will be displayed. Click on the checkbox and submit button.
4. Fill the RTI form correctly.
5. The field marked with * are mandatory to be filled.
6. Click on the submit button.
7. An exclusive registration number is issued to the applicant.

Note: The BPL citizens are not required to make any payment. While the non-BPL category citizen has to make a Rs.10 payment. It is described in the ITI Rules, 2012.

How can you check your complaint status?

You will follow the below-mentioned steps to check the complaint status-

1. Visit the RTI website.
2. Click on the tab “view status”.
3. Enter registration number, email ID & verification code.
4. Hence, you can view your complaint status.

What is the time period mandatory to file a complaint?

The time period to file a complaint is mentioned-below-

• For instance, the CPIO of Public authority does not accept the RTI application. You can file a complaint immediately in such a case as per the RTI Act, 2005.
• If you have not received the reply after 30-days of filing the RTI application, you can file a complaint.
  After 45 days of filing an appeal, you still choose to file a first appeal & not receive the reply.

Conclusion

As per a recent statista report, there were over 1.6 million applications filed under RTI act. From the past few years, it was noticed that there was an unexpected increase in the appeal.

The RTI Act has provided a powerful support to Indian citizen’s lives. It has legally given them the right to access information adhered to by the Government.

The citizens can get to know the reason behind the decision made by the Government, through RTI. It enables the free flow of information for a healthy democratic society.