RTI first appeal format — when there is no reply
No reply in 30 days, or an incomplete reply — appeal the right way.
Template: fill in the [brackets] with your own details.
Why it works this way
- The first application's date proves the 30 days have passed.
- Naming the unanswered question numbers keeps the appeal focused.
- The enclosed application copy and receipt are the evidence.
Common mistakes
- Appealing too early, before 30 days have actually passed.
- Writing a fresh RTI application instead of an appeal.
- Forgetting to enclose a copy of the original application.
What if the first appeal also fails? The next step is a second appeal to the Central or State Information Commission. Each stage has its own time limit, so do not wait months before appealing.
The 30-day rule, simply
The Public Information Officer must normally reply within 30 days of receiving your application. If the information belongs to another department, the officer transfers it within 5 days, and the clock adjusts accordingly. Keep your postal receipt or online acknowledgement safe — it proves the date the clock started, and without it, an appeal is very hard to argue.
Second appeal, briefly
If the first appeal also fails, or brings no reply, the next step is a second appeal to the Central Information Commission (for central departments) or the State Information Commission (for state departments). Enclose copies of everything so far: the original application, the first appeal, and every reply and receipt you have.
Each stage has its own time limit, so check the Commission's rules before filing, and keep to them. Hearings may happen by post, phone or video — follow whatever the Commission's notice says. A complete file, with dates in order, is what makes a second appeal easy to decide.
Writing the appeal in one page
An appeal is not a fresh argument — it is facts, dates and one request, and it fits on one page. State when you applied, what reply came or did not come, which questions remain unanswered, and what you want: the information, or a direction to the officer to reply. Do not re-argue the whole case; the appellate authority decides on the record, not on rhetoric.
Sign with your full address, because the authority's reply comes by post. Attach the copies, keep a copy of the appeal itself, and note the date you sent it — that date starts the next clock.
Keep the whole file together
Keep the original application, the first appeal, every reply and every receipt in one folder, in date order. The second appeal, if it ever becomes necessary, needs all of them — and a file assembled in a hurry, months later, always misses the one paper that matters.
Related guides
Numbered questions, fee and address — the RTI essentials.
Complaint letter to a company — get a refund or a fixFaulty product or poor service, written firmly and politely.
Write a formal letter in 10 minutesPurpose in one line, dates and numbers, one clear request.