Transfer of an RTI Application (Section 6(3))
Section 6(3), RTI Act 2005
If you send your RTI to the wrong public authority, Section 6(3) requires that PIO to transfer it to the correct public authority within 5 days and inform you — so a wrong address does not kill your request.
Under Section 6(3), when an application is made to a public authority that does not hold the information — or the information is more closely connected with another public authority — the PIO must transfer the application (or the relevant part) to the correct public authority within 5 days and inform the applicant.
This protects you when you cannot be sure which office holds your information. The receiving public authority then deals with it as a fresh RTI. A transfer is not a rejection: if a PIO simply returns or rejects your RTI instead of transferring it, that is a lapse you can raise in a First Appeal.
Key points
- Section 6(3): a wrong-office RTI must be transferred, not rejected.
- Transfer must happen within 5 days, with notice to you.
- Reassurance — you do not have to identify the exact authority perfectly.
- A PIO who returns or rejects instead of transferring can be challenged on appeal.
Related RTI terms
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This is a plain-English summary of the Right to Information Act, 2005 for general understanding — educational, not legal advice. For a specific case, the exact wording of the Act and your facts matter.
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