Explainer
How to frame an RTI request that actually gets answered
Most refusals we see are not cover-ups. They are answers to badly framed questions. Here is the difference.
People bring us refusals expecting a scandal. Usually what they have is a vagueness objection, and the underlying record was always available.
Ask for records, not explanations
The Right to Information Act gives access to information held by a public authority. It does not require an officer to compose an essay justifying a decision. A request phrased as "why was this sanctioned?" invites a refusal; a request for "the sanction order and the note file leading to it" does not.
Rewrite every question you want answered as a document you want to see.
Be specific enough to be answerable
Compare these two requests for the same information:
All details and documents relating to the road construction work in our area.
The work order, sanction order, and completion certificate for work number TS/XXXX/2025 relating to road construction at [location], for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.
The first is refusable as vague and disproportionate. The second names the document, the identifier, the place, and the date range. An information officer can act on it in an afternoon.
Address the right public authority
Information can only be given by the authority that holds it. Requests sent to a department that never had the record are transferred at best and lapse at worst. If you are not sure who holds it, ask that question first — of the office, informally — before spending your fee.
Expect exemptions, and read them
The Act contains genuine exemptions and an authority is entitled to rely on them. When a refusal arrives, find the specific ground cited and ask two questions: does that ground actually cover what I requested, and does it cover all of it or only part?
Partial refusals are common and frequently over-broad. Where only part of a file is exempt, the rest should still be provided.
If the reply is deficient
A first appeal is available where a reply is refused improperly, delayed beyond the statutory period, or answered incompletely. The appeal should engage the ground the authority actually cited. Restating your original request more forcefully is the most common mistake and almost never works.
Where we can help
Our clinics work through drafting, fee rules, timelines, and appeal structure. Bring your original request and any reply. We help you file in your own name — the right of appeal has to stay with you.