Using RTI the right way
“Beneath the rule of men entirely great,
The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold
The arch-enchanter’s wand! — itself is nothing! —
But taking sorcery from the master-hand
To charm the skeletons out of the city-shrine…”
~ Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Thy precious was jaywalking through the brightly lit alleys of internet. More specifically, the philately section of India Post. If there is one department that has penetrated India after Indian Railways then it has got to be the Department of Posts. Even if you’re a shepard deep in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, you will still receive your money order and letters from loved ones.
I recommend the pen stand that should actually be a piggy bank.
What is Right To Information anyway
The “babu” system of any bureocracy encourages a thick layer of seperation between the administration (them) and the administered (citizen, you). They look to exploit the gap in our understanding of the process. As long as we don’t know who exactly has the authority to act on our case and hasn’t, we will forever be under the mercy of those who will take some “sweets” to get the job done. Or not do it at all.
RTI is an instrument to stab this process right in the chest. Not only can we demand to know something but also impose a timeline of 30 days of responding to the application. The response can be challenged by one level senior officer to the appointed PIO. The revised response can again be taken up to Central/State Information Commission in you’re still unsatisfied.
Let’s see how we can make people in govt jobs who don’t care really care a lot.
Filing RTI online with UPI
If you’re an Indian reading this you’re already hooked after reading UPI. For an Indian citizen above poverty line, an RTI is going to cost ₹10. Department of Personnel and Training has enabled Indians to file RTI online with their portal.
Head over to RTI online portal and complete steps 1, 2 and 3 as shown to begin with.
Disclaimer: The public authorities listed belong to the Central govt. For State Govt related authorities we will have to resort to offline method discussed below. Also, RTIs are for govt bodies exclusively. Don’t harass your corporate employer into revealing payslips of everyone in office just because you have ₹10 in pocket.
Shit gets real from here. Thy precious knows the govt department responsible for this is “Department of Posts”. Thy precious recommends you have a quick chat with AI and figure out which body to direct the RTI to. The PIO is responsible for transferring it to the right department under section 6(3) of the RTI Act (2005), Republic of India.
For the love of god, please don’t treat the textbox as your chance to publish the next gatekeep-gaslight-girlboss lore you have. Our strategy is going to be very precise: make the department stick her neck out and name who is responsible for causing us agony on paper. The bureaucrats hate a paper trail. For the most part they will make sure the job is done before the RTI response is sent in statutory period of 30 days. That’s way better than answering question (3) and admitting the wrong doing. Notice the content of thy precious’s RTI:
1. Current Status: What is the current status of the order placed on February 23, 2026, with Order/Invoice No. 2602231231_____?
2. Daily Progress Report: Provide a Daily Progress Report (or Work History) of the action taken on this order from the date it was received by the department until the date of replying to this RTI.
3. Tracking Details: Provide the specific Tracking Number(s) assigned to the shipment for the aforementioned order.
4. Dispatch Information: Provide the exact date of departure/dispatch from the warehouse or origin post office.
5. Accountability for Delay: If the order has not yet been dispatched at the time of replying, please provide the name and designation of the official responsible for the delay and the expected date of shipment.
6. Payment Details: Provide the exact extra amount that will be payable upon receiving the shipment(s) that was not already paid for in the attached invoice.
7. Service Charges: Provide a detailed list of the specific services rendered for which a Service Charge of INR 50.00 was levied on this order.
Make the life of PIO’s officer easier and leave little room for those slacking to escape, it’s mandatory for us to ask queries point wise so that the PIO doesn’t respond with “information not available” or much worse revolt with section 2(f) because you were a cry baby. By specifically asking about what should mostly be in govt records, the PIO is compelled to give an answer or face the scrutiny of FAA or CIC in future. Everyone fights to keep their neck intact.
Thy precious strongly recommends you give context to your favourite AI chatbot to make sure the information is made available. Open google docs and paste and review what the AI spat out.
All necessary documents can be appended to the same pdf letter and uploaded in step 5. Write “As given in document” in the textbox to save yourself some sanity. You’d know what thy precious is talking about once you see that links are not allowed in the textbox.
Filing RTI via speed post
There are only minor changes in the process of sending an RTI via speed post. Yes, it’s about the payment. You can use a cheque or demand draft (crazy expensive) directed to the Accounts Officer of the said department. Thy precious recommends you getting your hands on ₹10 Indian Postal Orders. A DD will cost you a lot of money. A single IPO costs ₹11 and is available at your nearby Post Office. Keep a few just cuz how nostalgic and cool they are. Can you believe that people in 90s and much before that used to pay for exam application fees using this?
In addition to the particulars of the letter, please do add your signature and detail of application fee.
Tear off the counterfoil (left end) of IPO as proof of payment in case it’s ever disputed. Pay to the Accounts Officer, target department. Pay at the PO of given city/district where you’re sending the letter. Send the letter to the PIO via speed post. As of March 2026 it’ll cost you ₹55 on top of the stationary and IPO cost. Yes it’s somewhat expensive but very serious. Signalling the mode of communication as email ensured you aren’t given a bill for xerox of offline documents by the PIO.
Tracking the RTI online
If you were lucky enough to have your rti registered via the portal, thy precious recommends you check the registered email for “registration number” of the RTI. Goto view status page as shown in step 1 and fill in the details to check the status of RTI. If you didn’t receive an email with registration number but are confident that the payment went through then please goto view history page. You shall find all RTIs and first appeals made via said email id on the portal. RTI is not a favour. Its your right as an Indian.
The conclusion
Oh right, you want to know about thy precious’s pen stand and how did the RTI end up. As of March 2026 the RTI had been transferred to two CPIOs, one in Howrah and another in New Delhi.
Nice RTI hobbits!…Hobbits always so polite, yes! Shri Bihari Tom Cruise forever.
CPIO at Howrah was quick to point out the information resides with New Delhi. Thy precious received his consignment on the same day as first RTI response. Have a look at
precious Pen Stand
We Be Nice to Them If They Be Nice to Us ~ Indian Armed Forces
Until next time loyal reader. May the Gods watch over you.