I filed an RTI but got no reply — what now?
If the PIO does not reply to your RTI within 30 days, the law treats it as a deemed refusal, so you can file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) within 30 days and, if still ignored, a Second Appeal to the Information Commission under Section 19(3).
Anyone who filed an RTI application and received no response from the Public Information Officer within the legal time limit.
A situation like yours
Sunita filed an RTI asking her panchayat for muster rolls under a rural-jobs scheme. Thirty days passed with complete silence from the PIO.
She learned that no reply within the time limit counts as a deemed refusal, so she filed a First Appeal to the First Appellate Authority. When the FAA also stayed quiet, she filed a Second Appeal to the State Information Commission and asked for a penalty on the PIO. The Commission ordered the muster rolls released.
Representative example based on common cases — not a specific individual.
How to resolve it
- 1
Confirm the 30-day deadline has passed
Public Information Officer (PIO)In person / by postAllow ~30 daysThe PIO must reply within 30 days of receiving your RTI (just 48 hours if it concerns the life or liberty of a person). Count from the date the PIO actually received it, including any extra days if your fee was paid late. Once that window closes with no reply, it is a deemed refusal in law.
- 2
File a First Appeal on the deemed refusal
First Appellate Authority (FAA)File an appealAllow ~30 daysTreat the silence as a refusal and file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) to the First Appellate Authority within 30 days. State that the PIO failed to reply within the statutory time and that this is a deemed refusal. There is no fee. Use the First Appeal builder to draft it quickly.
- 3
File a Second Appeal to the Information Commission
Central / State Information Commission (CIC/SIC)File an appealAllow ~90 daysIf the FAA also fails to respond or decide in time, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) to the Central Information Commission (CIC) for central bodies or your State Information Commission (SIC) for state bodies, within 90 days of the FAA's decision (or the date it was due).
- 4
Ask the Commission to penalise the PIO and waive fees
Central / State Information Commission (CIC/SIC)File an appealAllow ~90 daysAsk the Commission to impose a penalty under Section 20 (Rs 250 per day, up to Rs 25,000) on the PIO for the delay. Note that when the PIO misses the deadline, the law says the information must usually be provided free of charge, so claim that too.
- 5
Refile a tighter RTI if needed
Public Information Officer (PIO)File an RTIAllow ~30 daysAI RTI DraftIf the original RTI was very broad and that is slowing things down, file a fresh, specific application alongside your appeal so a second clock starts running. Use the AI RTI draft tool to phrase a precise, hard-to-ignore request.
Your legal rights
Section 7(1), Right to Information Act, 2005
The PIO must provide the information or reject the request within 30 days of receiving an RTI application — or within 48 hours where the life or liberty of a person is involved.
Source: India Code (Government of India) ↗Sections 7(2) and 19, Right to Information Act, 2005
No reply within the time limit is treated as a deemed refusal, which gives you the right to a First Appeal within 30 days under 19(1) and a Second Appeal to the Information Commission within 90 days under 19(3).
Source: India Code (Government of India) ↗Section 20, Right to Information Act, 2005
If the PIO fails to reply within the time limit without reasonable cause, the Information Commission can impose a penalty of Rs 250 per day up to Rs 25,000 on the PIO.
Source: India Code (Government of India) ↗Tools that help
Common questions
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