RTI Glossary — Right to Information terms, in plain English
The RTI Act, 2005 is full of abbreviations — PIO, CPIO, CIC, SIC, FAA. Here is what each one actually means, with the exact section of the Act, so you know who to write to and what your rights are.
A Public Information Officer (PIO) is the officer every public authority must designate to receive your R...
A CPIO is simply a PIO in a central (Union) government public authority — central ministries, departments...
An Assistant Public Information Officer (APIO) receives RTI applications and first appeals and forwards t...
The Central Information Commission (CIC) is the top RTI appellate body for central (Union) public authori...
A State Information Commission (SIC) is the top RTI appellate body for a state's public authorities. Each...
The First Appellate Authority (FAA) is an officer senior in rank to the PIO within the same public author...
A First Appeal is your first level of challenge under the RTI Act — used when the PIO refuses information...
A Second Appeal is your final level of challenge under the RTI Act, filed to the Information Commission (...
Section 8 of the RTI Act lists the categories of information a public authority may refuse to disclose —...
A “public authority” is any body the RTI Act covers — established by the Constitution, by a law, or by a...
A “deemed refusal” means that if the PIO fails to reply to your RTI within the 30-day time limit, the law...
A “third party” is a person or body other than you whose information is involved in your RTI request. Sec...
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These definitions are a plain-English summary of the Right to Information Act, 2005 for general understanding. They are educational and not legal advice — for a specific case, the exact wording of the Act and your facts matter.
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