This office memorandum addresses a critical aspect of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, specifically concerning the timely intimation of additional fees for photocopies. It highlights a concern raised by the Central Information Commission (CIC) that some Central Public Information Officers (CPIOs) are informing applicants about photocopying charges very late in the 30-day period allowed for providing information. The CIC emphasizes that such demands should be made promptly after receiving the RTI application. This ensures applicants have sufficient time to deposit the fees and receive the information within the stipulated timeframe. The memorandum clarifies that calculating photocopying charges, especially for non-voluminous requests or information not spread across many files, should not be a time-consuming process. CPIOs are instructed to assess the information to be disclosed and calculate charges immediately upon receiving an application, enabling prompt communication with the applicant regarding the fees. This directive is intended for compliance by all concerned.
SOURCE PDF LINK :
Click to access 12_31_2013-IR-11022013.pdf
Click to view full document content
F. No.12/31/2013-IR
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Department of Personnel \& Training
North Block, New Delhi – 110001
Dated : 11.2.2013
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject: Timely intimation about payment of additional fee under RTI Act 2005.
It has been brought to the notice of the Central Information Commission that some CPIOs inform the information seeker about the additional fee under sub section 7(3) of the RTI Act at the fag end of the thirty days period prescribed for providing the information under sub-section 7(1) of the RTI Act.
2. The Central Information Commission in one of its orders has mentioned that while there cannot be any hard and fast rule about when exactly the intimation about the photocopying charges should be conveyed to the information seeker, it is implied in the prescribed time limit that the demand for the photocopying charges must be made soon after the RTI application is received so that the information seeker has time to deposit the fees and receive the information within the prescribed thirty days period. If the information sought is not voluminous or is not dispersed over a large number of files, computation of the photocopying charges should not be a time consuming task. As soon as the RTI application is received, the holder of the information should decide about how much information to disclose and then calculate the photocopying charges so that the CPIO can immediately write to the information seeker demanding such fees.
3. This may be brought to the notice of all concerned for compliance.
(Sandeep Jain)
Deputy Secretary
- All the Ministries / Departments of the Government of India
- Union Public Service Commission, Lok Sabha Sectt, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, Cabinet Secretariat, Central Vigilance Commission, President’s Secretariat, Vice-President’s Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office, Planning Commission, Election Commission.3. Central Information Commission/State Information Commissions.
- Staff Selection Commission, CGO Complex, New Delhi
- O/o the Comptroller & Auditor General of India, 10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi.
- All officers/Desks/Sections, DOP&T and Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare.
Copy to :- Chief Secretaries of All the States/UTs