About Act
Right to Information Act, 2005
The Right to Information Act, 2005 provides a practical framework for citizens to access information held by or under the control of public authorities, subject to the provisions and exemptions specified in the Act.
The Act may be called the Right to Information Act, 2005. The official text and related information should be consulted for the complete legal provisions and any subsequent amendments.
Commencement and extent
The Act is titled the Right to Information Act, 2005. The original Act specified that certain provisions came into force at once and that the remaining provisions would come into force on the one hundred and twentieth day after enactment. Please consult the official Act for the exact commencement provisions and current legal position.
Important definitions
The following summaries reflect the key terms presented on the institute’s published RTI Act page. For legally authoritative wording, refer to the full Act on the official Government of India portal.
Appropriate Government
In general, this refers to the Central Government or the relevant State Government, as applicable to the public authority concerned under the Act.
Central Information Commission
The Central Information Commission constituted under Section 12 of the Act.
Central Public Information Officer (CPIO)
A Central Public Information Officer designated under Section 5, including a Central Assistant Public Information Officer where provided for under the Act.
Competent authority
The authority identified by the Act for the relevant institution or constitutional body, such as the Speaker, the Chief Justice, the President, the Governor or an administrator, as applicable.
Information
Information includes material in any form, such as records, documents, memos, emails, opinions, advice, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models and electronic data. It may also include information relating to a private body that a public authority can access under another law in force.
Public authority
A public authority includes authorities, bodies or institutions established or constituted by or under the Constitution, by a law of Parliament or a State Legislature, or by a notification or order of the appropriate Government. The Act also covers certain bodies and non-government organisations that are owned, controlled or substantially financed by government funds, as specified in the Act.
Record
Record includes documents, manuscripts and files; microfilm, microfiche and facsimile copies; reproductions of images embodied in microfilm; and other material produced by a computer or another device.
Right to information
The right to information means access to information held by or under the control of a public authority, subject to the Act. It includes the right to:
- Inspect works, documents and records.
- Take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records.
- Take certified samples of material.
- Obtain information in electronic or other prescribed formats, including printouts where information is stored on a computer or another device.
State Information Commission and State Public Information Officer
The Act provides for State Information Commissions and State Public Information Officers, including State Assistant Public Information Officers, in accordance with its provisions.
Third party
A third party means a person other than the citizen making a request for information and includes a public authority, as defined in the Act.