Filing an RTI to support your corruption complaint

The Right to Information Act, 2005, lets you demand records that often expose corruption: file notings, sanctioned amounts, contractor lists, beneficiary lists.

Steps

1. Identify the Public Authority that holds the records (e.g., the municipal corporation, the PWD circle office).
2. Write the request: be specific about dates and documents you want. Keep it to one subject.
3. Pay ₹10 application fee — by IPO, DD, or online via rtionline.gov.in for central PAs.
4. Submit and keep the acknowledgement. The PIO has 30 days to respond.
5. If no reply or unsatisfactory reply, file a first appeal with the First Appellate Authority. After that, the State / Central Information Commission.

Useful sample queries

• "List of road tenders awarded by [office] in [year] with contract value and contractor name."
• "Status of file no. [X] including all notings and dates of movement."
• "Number of FIRs registered under PC Act in [district] in last 3 years."