RTI Application Generator

India’s Right to Information Act, 2005 lets any citizen ask a public authority for records and information. The application is a short letter, but it must be addressed to the right officer, say what is wanted, and settle the fee. This generator produces that letter and quotes the sections of the Act that matter, so the officer sees at once that the request is properly made.

What the letter contains

You address the Public Information Officer of a named authority and give its address, then your own name and address, an optional phone or email, the date and place. The heart of the application is the list of information you want, one question per line, with an optional period such as “1 April 2024 to 31 March 2026”. The tool prints the questions as a numbered list under a sentence saying you request the information under Section 6(1) of the Act.

Next come the mode of reply and the fee. You can ask for certified photocopies by post, for the information by email or on a CD, or for inspection of the records followed by copies of what you mark. Payment can be an Indian Postal Order, a demand draft or banker’s cheque, cash with a receipt, an online payment with a receipt, or a below-poverty-line exemption with the BPL card number. The letter states the fee as Rs. 10, which is the application fee under the central rules.

Sections the letter relies on

The text says that no reason is required under Section 6(2), that the information does not fall under the exemptions in Section 8, and that if only part is exempt the rest should be supplied under Section 10 with reasons for the withheld part. It asks for the answer within 30 days under Section 7(1), or within 48 hours if you switch on the life or liberty option, which is the first proviso to that section. It also asks that an application for information held by another authority be transferred under Section 6(3) within five days, and that any extra fee for copies be explained in writing as Section 7(3) provides.

A worked example

The first sample is dated 10 November 2026 and is from Neha Joshi to the Public Information Officer of the Roads Department of the Municipal Corporation of Pune. It asks four numbered questions about work order 142/2025 for resurfacing Park Street: the date the order was issued and the contractor’s name, the amount sanctioned and paid so far, a certified copy of the completion certificate, and the name and designation of the supervising officer. The fee is an Indian Postal Order numbered 45G 123456 and the answer is requested as certified copies. The second sample is from an applicant below the poverty line, citing BPL card BPL/2019/00871 and asking for inspection of a fair price shop’s stock register.

What happens next

The officer must reply within the statutory time. If you get no reply, or an answer you dispute, Section 19(1) lets you file a first appeal with the officer senior to the Public Information Officer, normally within 30 days. A further appeal can go to the Information Commission. Keep proof of posting and of the fee, because the appeal depends on them.

Limits

The Rs. 10 fee is the central rule. States and some authorities have different fees and ways to pay, so check the rules that apply to your authority. Exempt categories under Section 8, such as information affecting national security or privacy of individuals, can lawfully be refused. The tool writes the letter only, and does not file anything online. It is a general template and not legal advice.

Related tools

• Police Complaint Format suits a report to the police, which is a different procedure from an information request.
• Complaint Letter Generator fits a consumer dispute with a company rather than a request to a public body.
• Affidavit Format Generator is the sworn statement some offices ask for alongside an application.
• Bank Letter Generator covers letters to branches, which sit outside the Act in most cases.