Obligations of public authorities
Commencement. Ss. 4(1), 5(1) (2), 12, 13, 15, 16, 24, 27, 28 (15-06-2005) and rest provisions on 120th day of its enactment.
Section 4 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 deals with obligations of public authorities. Every public authority shall-- (a) maintain all its records duly catalogued and indexed in a manner and the form which facilitates the right to information under this Act and ensure that all records that are appropriate to be computerised are, within a reasonable time and subject to availability of The Act was enacted on 15 Jun 2005.
(1) Every public authority shall--
(a) maintain all its records duly catalogued and indexed in a manner and the form which facilitates the right to information under this Act and ensure that all records that are appropriate to be computerised are, within a reasonable time and subject to availability of resources, computerised and connected through a network all over the country on different systems so that access to such records is facilitated;
(b) publish within one hundred and twenty days from the enactment of this Act,--
(i) the particulars of its organisation, functions and duties;
(ii) the powers and duties of its officers and employees;
(iii) the procedure followed in the decision making process, including channels of supervision and accountability;
(iv) the norms set by it for the discharge of its functions;
(v) the rules, regulations, instructions, manuals and records, held by it or under its control or used by its employees for discharging its functions;
(vi) a statement of the categories of documents that are held by it or under its control;
(vii) the particulars of any arrangement that exists for consultation with, or representation by, the members of the public in relation to the formulation of its policy or implementation thereof;
(viii) a statement of the boards, councils, committees and other bodies consisting of two or more persons constituted as its part or for the purpose of its advice, and as to whether meetings of those boards, councils, committees and other bodies are open to the public, or the minutes of such meetings are accessible for public;
(ix) a directory of its officers and employees;
(x) the monthly remuneration received by each of its officers and employees, including the system of compensation as provided in its regulations;
(xi) the budget allocated to each of its agency, indicating the particulars of all plans, proposed expenditures and reports on disbursements made;
(xii) the manner of execution of subsidy programmes, including the amounts allocated and the details of beneficiaries of such programmes;
(xiii) particulars of recipients of concessions, permits or authorisations granted by it;
(xiv) details in respect of the information, available to or held by it, reduced in an electronic form;
(xv) the particulars of facilities available to citizens for obtaining information, including the working hours of a library or reading room, if maintained for public use;
(xvi) the names, designations and other particulars of the Public Information Officers;
(xvii) such other information as may be prescribed;
and thereafter update these publications every year;
(c) publish all relevant facts while formulating important policies or announcing the decisions which affect public;
(d) provide reasons for its administrative or quasi-judicial decisions to affected persons.
(2) It shall be a constant endeavour of every public authority to take steps in accordance with the requirements of clause (b) of sub-section (1) to provide as much information suo motu to the public at regular intervals through various means of communications, including internet, so that the public have minimum resort to the use of this Act to obtain information.
(3) For the purposes of sub-section (1), every information shall be disseminated widely and in such form and manner which is easily accessible to the public.
(4) All materials shall be disseminated taking into consideration the cost effectiveness, local language and the most effective method of communication in that local area and the information should be easily accessible, to the extent possible in electronic format with the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, available free or at such cost of the medium or the print cost price as may be prescribed.
Explanation.--For the purposes of sub-sections (3) and (4), "disseminated" means making known or communicated the information to the public through notice boards, newspapers, public announcements, media broadcasts, the internet or any other means, including inspection of offices of any public authority.
Section 4, The Right to Information Act, 2005 (Act 22 of 2005).
Cross-references
Extracted from the operative text of the enactments themselves. Every destination below exists in our corpus.
Referred to by 9
- Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017 (Act No. 7 of 2017) s. 17 Transparency & Accountability
- Mizoram Lok Ayukta Bill s. 24
- Mizoram Lokayukta Act s. 24
- s. 1 Short title, extent and commencement
- s. 19 Appeal
- s. 26 Appropriate Government to prepare programmes
- s. 27 Power to make rules by appropriate Government
- s. 28 Power to make rules by competent authority
- Uttarakhand Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) Act s. 26 Functions and Duties of Committee
Related judgements & precedents
These are some judgments that construed this section, and hold precedence value. They hold authority on how to read, interpret and use this section.
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Inst. of Chartered Accountants of India vs Shaunak H Sayta
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Intellectual property exemption under Section 8(1)(d) of RTI Act is temporal in nature and applies only to information the disclosure of which would competitively harm third parties at the time of disclosure. Once an examination is held, evaluated, and results declared, examination instructions, solutions, and model answers no longer harm the competitive position of any third party and therefore cease to be exempted. Information held by a person in fiduciary capacity is exempted under Section 8(1)(e), but this exemption is conditional and subject to larger public interest override. Examining bodies must disclose standards and criteria for mark moderation to maintain accountability and fairness, but need not compile data not maintained in their records. Administrative workload and burden do not justify denial of RTI requests; public authorities must adapt to transparency obligations.
On this section: Information relating to transparency, accountability, and corruption prevention that must be proactively disseminated by public authorities
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Anjali Bhardwaj vs Union of India
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
The Central Government and State Governments have a constitutional and statutory obligation to fill vacancies in Information Commissions in a timely manner through a transparent process, and the Supreme Court can issue mandamus directions to compel such appointments. The failure to maintain adequate strength of Information Commissioners violates the fundamental right to information under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution and frustrates the purpose of the Right to Information Act 2005. Information Commissions must be staffed adequately based on workload, and the appointment process must be transparent with public disclosure of selection criteria, shortlisted candidates, and deliberations. Persons of eminence from all fields mentioned in the RTI Act should be considered for appointment, not limited to government employees.
On this section: Obligations of public authorities to maintain records, publish information, and provide reasons for decisions; the Court emphasized this section's importance in facilitating the right to information
The holding above is the ratio decidendi as extracted from the judgment by eCourts India, reproduced unaltered — it is a rendering of the court's reasoning, not a substitute for its words. Read the order itself before relying on it.
Judgments citing this section
These may be obiter dicta or a precedent, for you to study. These are the judgments where this section is quoted.
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… This Writ Petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India filed by way of a public interest litigation seeking multiple reliefs, running into three pages, the gist of which is only for a direction to implement the mandate of Section 4 of the Right to Information Act, 2005. <sup>1</sup> As the prayer is only for implementing the various obligations enlisted under Section 4, it is necessary to reproduce the Section for ready reference: "4. Obligations of public authorities- (I ) Every public authority shall— (a) maintain all its …
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… the Criminal Justice System. 2.3 Shri Prashant Bhushan, learned counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner has also vehemently submitted that the chargesheet is a public document once filed in the Court. Reliance is placed on Sections 74 and 76 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. It is submitted that even under Section 4(2) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (hereinafter referred to as the 'RTI Act') a duty is cast upon the public officer/public authority to provide as much information suo moto to the public at regular intervals through various means of communications and to provide as much information as mentioned in …
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… The State Information Commission as per order dated 21.1.2012, vide No. AP599(5)/SIC/ 2010, reminded the State Police of its obligation as a public authority under Section 4 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 to maintain its records duly catalogued and indexed in such a manner as to facilitate the right of information under the Act and also to ensure that all records that are appropriate to be computerised shall within a period of 30 days from 21.1.2012 be computerised and connected …
Made under this section, and citing it
2 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 4
What have the courts held on Section 4 of the Right to Information Act?
Inst. of Chartered Accountants of India vs Shaunak H Sayta (02 Sep 2011) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Information relating to transparency, accountability, and corruption prevention that must be proactively disseminated by public authorities. Another 1 judgment on this section is set out below, all of them from the Supreme Court. They run from 2011 to 2019.
How do I find court cases under Section 4 of the Right to Information Act?
In judgments and charge sheets this section is written several ways, and each form finds a different set of orders. These search the full text of every order eCourtsIndia holds, best matches first: RTI Act 4, section 4 RTI Act, section 4 of the Right to Information Act. People searching for it also type rti 4 1 b and rti 4(1)b. Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 2 reported judgments on this section are set out on this page, beginning with Inst. of Chartered Accountants of India vs Shaunak H Sayta (02 Sep 2011).
What should I read with Section 4 of the Right to Information Act, and has it changed?
9 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. 2 instruments name it without being made under it, most recently Punjab Right to Information Rules, 2017 (2017), then RTI Rules, 2012 (2012).
When was Section 4 of the Right to Information Act enacted?
Section 4 of the Right to Information Act, cited as RTI Act 4, was enacted on 15 Jun 2005 as Act 22 of 2005. It is in force as at the date shown on this page.
Other sections of this Act
- 19. Appeal669 words
- 7. Disposal of request657 words
- 2. Definitions618 words
- 13. Terms of office and conditions of service530 words
- 8. Exemption from disclosure of information520 words
- 18. Powers and functions of Information Commissions473 words
Source and method. Compiled from the enactments of Parliament and of the State legislatures as published on India Code, and republished together with commentary and other original matter under section 52(1)(q)(ii) of the Copyright Act, 1957. Structured, cross-referenced and maintained by eCourtsIndia. Text as in force on 15 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.