Filed an RTI and Heard Nothing? How to Check Status - and What to Do at 30 Days

Check This First

• Filed on the Central portal (rtionline.gov.in)? Use its View Status option with the registration number from your acknowledgement. See our Central portal help.
• Filed on a state portal? Most show status after login on the same portal. Find yours in the state-by-state portal help directory - for example Telangana or Maharashtra.
• Filed by post? There is no online RTI tracking for postal applications. Keep the Speed Post consignment tracking (proof of delivery) and your fee record - the 30-day clock runs from the day the application is received.
• Not sure of your deadline? Our free RTI Deadline Clock computes the exact due date from your filing date.

What the 30-Day Rule Actually Gives You

Under Section 7(1), the PIO is ordinarily required to respond within 30 days (transfers and third-party procedures can lawfully extend this). If no decision reaches you in time, Section 7(2) treats the silence as a deemed refusal. That unlocks two things:

• A free First Appeal under Section 19(1) to the First Appellate Authority of the same public authority - ordinarily within 30 days of when the reply fell due.
• Free information: under Section 7(6), if the authority failed to reply within the time limit, the information is to be provided free of charge.

Our free First Appeal Generator drafts the appeal from your details in minutes.

Sample RTI-Appeal Framing

A useful First Appeal for a no-reply case states: the application date and registration/despatch proof, that no response was received within the period under Section 7(1), that this constitutes deemed refusal under Section 7(2), and asks the First Appellate Authority to direct disclosure - noting Section 7(6) on free information.

What RTI Status Checking Cannot Do

• No portal shows status for an RTI filed by post - only the receiving office holds that file.
• FileMyRTI (or anyone else) cannot look up your application on a government portal for you - status lookups need your own registration number or login.
• A status page showing “under process” does not pause the 30-day clock.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Waiting for months because the status says “under process” - after day 30 you can act, and the First Appeal is where stuck applications move.
• Filing a fresh RTI instead of a First Appeal - the appeal is faster, free, and legally stronger for a no-reply case.
• Losing the acknowledgement/registration number - save it the day you file.

Common Questions

My RTI status shows "under process" for 45 days. What now?

The reply fell due at 30 days (unless lawfully extended). You can file a First Appeal now citing deemed refusal under Section 7(2); if information is then provided late, Section 7(6) says it must be free.

I filed by post and have no acknowledgement. Is my RTI lost?

Not necessarily. Your Speed Post tracking is proof of delivery, and the 30-day period runs from receipt. If nothing comes, the First Appeal can be filed with that proof attached.

Can FileMyRTI check my RTI status for me?

No one can check it without your own registration number or portal login - and you should not share those. What we can do is draft and file your First Appeal when the deadline passes, which is usually the step that gets a stuck application moving.

How FileMyRTI Helps

If your 30 days are over, our team drafts and files the First Appeal for you - correctly addressed to the First Appellate Authority, citing the right sections, with your proof attached. Or book a guided session (Rs. 499) and we will do it together on a call.

Want the full details of this service — what we ask, what you get, and how filing works? See the dedicated service page: RTI For First RTI Appeal