Right to Information

1. Who has the right to information?
• All citizens of India have the right to information.
2. What information do you have the right to ?
• Under the RTI Act, you have the right to:
• Inspect documents, recodes and public works.
• Take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records.
• Take certified samples of material used for public works.
• Obtain information in the form of diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in any other electronic mode of through printouts.
3. Whom must the application be made to ?
• The application must be made to the Public Information Officer of the concerned department.
4. Is there an application fee ?
• Yes. The application fee is 10/-. It is to be paid by cash/demand draft/bankers cheque/court fee stamp.
• The fees regarding information are:
• 2/- for information on A4/A3 size paper. In case of a bigger size paper of paper, then actual cost of paper.
• For inspecting records: free for the first one hour. 5/- charged for every fifteen minutes after that.
• 50/- per diskette/floppy for information provided on diskette/floppy.
• Samples/models: actual cost of sample/model.
• Written information: actual cost of publication.
5. What is the time limit for receiving information?
• Information has to be given/rejected by the Public Information Officer within:
• 30 days for ordinary information.
• 48 hours for application seeking information regarding a person's life and his freedom. This is so because these are more critical issues.
6. What information can be rejected by the Public Information Officer?
• Any information that would affect the independence and unity of India.
• Any information that a court or tribunal (court-like body) has forbidden from being published.
7. What do you do if your application is rejected or you are aggrieved with the order?
• You can file an appeal with the Appellate Authority in the same department within 30 days from the date on which the order was given.
• You can file an appeal against the order of the Appellate Authority with the State Information Commission within 90 days from the date on which the order was gien by the Appellate Authority.

Source: Vogue November'14 issue.