This Office Memorandum clarifies the acceptable methods for paying fees under the Right to Information Act, 2005. It reiterates that payments can be made via cash, demand draft, banker’s cheque, or Indian Postal Order, and these should be payable to the Accounts Officer of the public authority. The document addresses a persistent issue where some public authorities have been refusing to accept demand drafts/cheques/IPOs drawn in the name of the Accounts Officer, insisting on other designations. This practice is contrary to existing rules and previous instructions. The Memorandum emphasizes that rejecting an RTI application due to the payee designation on the payment instrument could be considered a refusal to accept the application and may lead to penalties imposed by the Central Information Commission. Therefore, all public authorities are directed to ensure that payments made to the Accounts Officer through demand drafts, banker’s cheques, or Indian Postal Orders are accepted without denial.
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No.F.10/9/2008-IR
Government of India
Ministry of Personnel, PG and Pension
Department of Personnel \& Training
North Block, New Delhi
Dated: the $5^{\text {th }}$ December, 2008
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject: Payment of fee under the RTI Act by demand draft/bankers cheque/Indian Postal Order.
The undersigned is directed to say that the Right to Information (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005 provide that a person seeking information under the RTI Act, 2005 can make payment of fee for obtaining information by cash or demand draft or banker’s cheque or Indian postal order. According to the rules the demand draft/banker’s cheque /IPO should be payable to the Accounts Officer of the concerned public authority. It was brought to the notice of this Department that some public authorities did not accept demand drafts/banker’s cheques/Indian Postal Orders drawn in the name of their Accounts Officer and insisted that these should be drawn in the name of Drawing and Disbursing Officer or the Under Secretary or the Section Officer etc. This Department vide OM No.1/2/2007-IR dated $23^{\text {rd }}$ March, 2007 issued instructions that the demand drafts/banker’s cheques/IPOs made payable to the Accounts Officers of the public authority should not be denied. Inspite of the provisions in the rules and instructions of this Department, some public authorities still refuse to accept demand drafts/banker’s cheques /IPOs drawn in the name of the Accounts Officer of the public authority.
2. Refusal to accept an application on the ground that the demand draft/banker’s cheque/IPO submitted by the applicant has been drawn in the name of the Accounts Officer may amount to refusal to accept the application. It may result into imposition of penalty by the Central Information Commission on the concerned Central Public Information Officer under Section 20 of the Act. All the public authorities should, therefore, ensure that payment of fee by demand draft/banker’s cheque/IPO made payable to the Accounts Officer of the public authority is not denied.
3. Contents of this OM may be brought to the notice of all concerned.
(K.G. Verma)
Director
Tel: 23092158
- 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.
- Central Information Commission/State Information Commissions.
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Staff Selection Commission, CGO Complex, New Delhi
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O/o the Comptroller&Auditor General of India, 10, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi.
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All officers/Desks/Sections, DOP&T and Department of Pension & Pensioners Welfare.
Copy to: Chief Secretaries of all the States/UTs.