5.6.3 RTI Act 2005 and Maharashtra RTS Act 2015 notes

1. 5.6.3.1RTI Act Sections 1–5: commencement, definitions, public authority, proactive disclosure and PIOs

   Sections 1–5 of the RTI Act, 2005 say when the Act came into force, define "information" and "public authority", give every citizen the right to information, make public authorities publish key facts on their own, and require them to appoint Public Information Officers.

   Standard · 9 min · Full course
2. 5.6.3.2RTI Act Sections 6–7: request, transfer, time limits, fees and deemed refusal; RTI Rules 2012

   Section 6 tells a citizen how to ask for information, without giving reasons; section 7 tells the PIO how fast to reply (30 days, or 48 hours for life or liberty), what fees may be charged, and that silence counts as refusal.

   Standard · 7 min · Full course
3. 5.6.3.3RTI Act Sections 8–11: exemptions, public interest override, twenty-year rule, severability and third-party information

   Sections 8–11 set the limits of the right: ten categories of exempt information, a public-interest override, a twenty-year rule that opens old records, rejection for private copyright, release of the non-exempt part of a record, and a hearing for third parties.

   Standard · 8 min · Full course
4. 5.6.3.4RTI Act Sections 12–17: Central and State Information Commissions – appointment, term and removal

   Sections 12–17 set up the Central Information Commission (CIC) and the State Information Commissions (SICs): who sits on them, who selects them, how long they serve, and how they can be removed.

   Standard · 7 min · Full course
5. 5.6.3.5RTI Act Sections 18–31: powers of Commissions, appeals, penalty, exempt organisations (s.24) and repeal

   Sections 18–31 give the Information Commissions their powers, set out the two-stage appeal, fix the penalty on a defaulting PIO, keep listed intelligence and security bodies outside the Act, and repeal the Freedom of Information Act, 2002.

   Standard · 8 min · Full course

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