How to file the First Appeal Under RTI?

You can file an appeal under the proper to Information Act whenever the PIO fails to reply to your application or once you are aggrieved by the response of the PIO. What this suggests is that whenever the PIO fails to offer you a reply or charges unreasonable fees for giving copies of documents or fails to offer a satisfactory reply or doesn't provide a reply within the stipulated time-frame etc., you've got the facility to file an appeal with the acceptable authority, as discussed below. Section 19 of the proper to Information Act lays down two stages of appeal, the First Appeal is to be made to the appellate authority and therefore the Second Appeal lies with the Central Information Commission or the State Information Commission because the case could also be. The appeals process under the RTI Act is aimed toward redressing any grievance suffered by the Applicants during a quicker and cheaper way instead of getting to the courts.

When can the appeal be made? You can make an appeal to the Appellate Authority if:

  1. You are aggrieved by the choice made;
  2. If no decision was made within the right time limits;
  3. You are the 3rd party consulted during the appliance process, and you're unhappy with the choice made by the PIO.

What is the time-frame for creating the First Appeal?

The Applicants who are aggrieved by a choice of a PIO can make an appeal to a departmental Appellate Authority within 30 days of receiving the reply from the PIO or at the expiry of the period of time within which information should are provided by the PIO. However, if you miss that deadline and therefore the Appellate Authority is convinced that you simply had justifiable cause for missing the deadline, he/she may allow you to submit an appeal even after the 30 days have expired.

Who can make the First Appeal?

Any person aggrieved by the order of the PIO can file the First Appeal. You’ll also request your friend or an RTI Activist or the other person to file a complaint on your behalf provided he features a copy of all the relevant documents like RTI Application, acknowledgment receipt, PIO reply, etc. The format of the Authorization Letter enclosed.

Whom should the First Appeal be made to?

In every public authority, a politician who is senior in rank to the PIO has been designated to listen to appeals and is mentioned because of the First Appellate Authority (FAA). Every first appeal shall be mentioned in the FAA of an equivalent public authority within which the RTI application was made. The first decision or rejection notice you receive from the PIO should include contact details for the relevant Appellate Authority in order that you recognize whom you'll attend get the choice reviewed. If the notice is deficient, you'll want to see the web site of the general public authority or contact the PIO directly and invite the Appellate Authority’s details.

How to draft your First Appeal?

Your appeal must be sent to the concerned Appellate Authority in writing. Usually, there's no fixed format for writing the First Appeal. However, some State Governments have prescribed forms for filing appeals. You want to check the principles in your particular state to ascertain what all are required for filing the appeal otherwise you can check directly with the Appellate Authority.

The components of the First Appeal are explained by way of the sample below:

How to file the First Appeal?

  • Directly by handing documents over face to face to the FAA
  • Send the set of appeal documents by speed post or RPAD to the FAA of the relevant public authority
  • Additionally, you'll also send the appeal to the APIO within the relevant public authority who then features a duty to forward it to the relevant Appellate Authority.

* Always retain one copy of your appeal set for your own record

**When you send your appeal by post, confirm that you simply collect the signed and dated postal/acknowledgment receipt of your appeal. Couriers should be avoided.

*** Avoid physical delivery of appeal as collecting acknowledgment receipt might consume tons of some time.

What is the prescribed fee for filing the First Appeal?

The Central Government has not prescribed any fee for filing an appeal with the Appellate Authority. Unfortunately, some State Governments, like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, have prescribed Rules which impose an appeal fee. Challenges are filed against such rules, stating that no appeal is often rejected or stalled on account of non-payment of fee towards an appeal. If your government has prescribed an appeal fee and you're unwilling or unable to pay it, you'll either move the relevant State Information Commission or the State Supreme Court to think about the difficulty of levy of fees.

Disposal of the First Appeal

The RTI Act doesn't provide for any procedure to be followed for deciding appeals. However, the Appellate Authority must provide you with a chance to be heard before a choice on your appeal is reached. In any appeal, it's the PIO who must convince the Appellate Authority that they made the proper decision. As long as they create a defensible case, do you have to be asked to elucidate why you think that they're wrong?

The Central Act requires that the interior Appellate Authority (FAA) eliminate your appeal within 30 days to 45 days if an extension is important.

Mode of payment of RTI fee for apply RTI online How to File First Appeal under RTI?

Your RTI Application has to be as per the RTI Rules and Fees for How to File First Appeal under RTI?. The application fee is Rs.10/- to be paid by Bank's Demand Draft or Pay Order [Banker's Cheque] or Indian Postal Order or in Cash against receipt. Applicants holding BPL(Below Poverty Line) certificate do not have to pay any application fee.

Other charges:

Information in A-3 or A-4 size paper - Rs.2 per page,
Large size: actual cost,
Publications: actual cost.
CD: Rs.50/- per CD.
Inspection: Rs.10/- for first hour and Rs.5/- for every 15 minutes or part thereof thereafter.
In the case of maps and plans etc. the fee shall be fixed by the concerned PIO in each case depending upon the cost of labour and material required to be employed.
The amount of fee shall be deposited in the following head of account: "Receipts under Right to Information Act, 2005."

Some Other RTI Issues

  • File RTI How to File First Appeal under RTI? for Industrial development issues: Industry Development Council answerable under the RTI Act.
  • Passport verification issues: File an RTI application for passport verification
  • the Cost of projects undertaken by the MLA and MP: Get information on allocation of funds used by MLA/MP of How to File First Appeal under RTI?
  • MNREGA works details: File an RTI application for MNREGA Scam in How to File First Appeal under RTI? .
  • against Pradhan / Mukhiya / local representatives: File RTI to know the Cost of projects undertaken by the Pradhan/Mukhiya/local representatives.
  • How to File First Appeal under RTI? in Municipal Corporation: RTI for Water problems shortage and sewer problems.
  • MDM issues: File RTI Online for corruption in Mid Day Meal.
  • against MLA and MP: File RTI How to File First Appeal under RTI? to know the Cost of projects undertaken by the MLA and MP.
  • Government Hospital: File RTI How to File First Appeal under RTI? for Health and sanitation
  • Birth / death certificate: File RTI for Birth and death certificate issues in Municipal Corporation How to File First Appeal under RTI?.
  • Education: RTI for Education, at primary middle and secondary levels of school.
  • Housing development issues: File RTI for Housing development issues in How to File First Appeal under RTI?.
  • PF return : File an RTI Online to Get The Status of Your EPF Withdrawal or EPF Transfer Request in How to File First Appeal under RTI?.
  • Police complaint: Filed RTI for police complaint, but did not get any response for a long time.
  • Gram Panchayat Rural and Panchayati Raj : Right to Information How to File First Appeal under RTI? for Gram Panchayat Rural and Panchayati Raj and Rural Development work.
  • For gov location collector office :File RTI land records or property details with pin code in How to File First Appeal under RTI?.

Format For How to File First Appeal under RTI?

RTI Act, 2005 doesn't give a particular Format. You can write Application in any Format.For your benefit, we are giving a basic example of Application Format. Simply draft your application according to design and append IPO or DD according to requirement and send it to the concerned PIO.

Sample Format for Normal Application Sample Format- First Appeal Sample Format- Second Appeal

If still you face trouble in drafting RTI application, at that point take our help in filing RTI online. Simply click on the Apply Now and Fill the RTI Application Form. We will file your RTI for How to File First Appeal under RTI?.