Disposal of request
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 7 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 deals with disposal of request. Subject to the proviso to sub-section (2) of section 5 or the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 6, the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, on receipt of a request under section 6 shall, as expeditiously as possible, and in any case within t The Act was enacted on 15 Jun 2005.
(1) Subject to the proviso to sub-section (2) of section 5 or the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 6, the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, on receipt of a request under section 6 shall, as expeditiously as possible, and in any case within thirty days of the receipt of the request, either provide the information on payment of such fee as may be prescribed or reject the request for any of the reasons specified in sections 8 and 9:
Provided that where the information sought for concerns the life or liberty of a person, the same shall be provided within forty-eight hours of the receipt of the request.
(2) If the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, fails to give decision on the request for information within the period specified under sub-section (1), the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, shall be deemed to have refused the request.
(3) Where a decision is taken to provide the information on payment of any further fee representing the cost of providing the information, the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, shall send an intimation to the person making the request, giving--
(a) the details of further fees representing the cost of providing the information as determined by him, together with the calculations made to arrive at the amount in accordance with fee prescribed under sub-section (1), requesting him to deposit that fees, and the period intervening between the despatch of the said intimation and payment of fees shall be excluded for the purpose of calculating the period of thirty days referred to in that sub-section;
(b) information concerning his or her right with respect to review the decision as to the amount of fees charged or the form of access provided, including the particulars of the appellate authority, time limit, process and any other forms.
(4) Where access to the record or a part thereof is required to be provided under this Act and the person to whom access is to be provided is sensorily disabled, the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, shall provide assistance to enable access to the information, including providing such assistance as may be appropriate for the inspection.
(5) Where access to information is to be provided in the printed or in any electronic format, the applicant shall, subject to the provisions of sub-section (6), pay such fee as may be prescribed:
Provided that the fee prescribed under sub-section (1) of section 6 and sub-sections (1) and (5) of section 7 shall be reasonable and no such fee shall be charged from the persons who are of below poverty line as may be determined by the appropriate Government.
(6) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (5), the person making request for the information shall be provided the information free of charge where a public authority fails to comply with the time limits specified in sub-section (1).
(7) Before taking any decision under sub-section (1), the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, shall take into consideration the representation made by a third party under section 11.
(8) Where a request has been rejected under sub-section (1), the Central Public Information Officer or State Public Information Officer, as the case may be, shall communicate to the person making the request,--
(i) the reasons for such rejection;
(ii) the period within which an appeal against such rejection may be preferred; and
(iii) the particulars of the appellate authority.
(9) An information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question.
Section 7, 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.
This section refers to
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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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: Prescribes 30-day timeline for providing information or rejecting requests; the Court noted this time-bound nature of the Act
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Manohar vs State of Maharashtra
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
State Information Commissions, being quasi-judicial bodies exercising adjudicatory functions with power to impose penalties and recommend disciplinary action having civil consequences, are bound by principles of natural justice including the doctrine of audi alteram partem. Before recommending disciplinary action under Section 20(2) of the Right to Information Act 2005, the Commission must provide a hearing to the concerned Public Information Officer. The grounds for such disciplinary action are exhaustive and limited to: persistent failure to receive application or furnish information within 30 days, mala fide denial, providing incorrect/incomplete/misleading information, destruction of information, or obstruction in furnishing information - all without reasonable cause. 'Negligence' alone is insufficient. The Commission must record reasoned findings that the default was persistent and without reasonable cause before recommending disciplinary action. The word 'shall' in Section 20(2) should be read as 'may', conferring discretion on the Commission to evaluate whether circumstances warrant recommendation based on the officer's explanation and the facts of the case.
On this section: 30-day time limit for providing information
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Kamalesh v. Public Information Officer, Wakf Board
Court's Decision & Legal Precedent
Mandamus: PIO under RTI Act s.7(1) must dispose of information request within 30 days of receipt; application pending >30 days directed to be decided within two weeks. DATE-verified Final Order 03.09.2024.
On this section: s.7 — Disposal of request; 30-day statutory duty of PIO
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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… Dr. RS. Gupta did not receive a response from the office of Additional Director of Education (Act-II), Directorate of Education, hence he filed an Appeal during July, 2017 before the Appellate Authority/PGC under Section 7 of Delhi Right to Information Act. 2001. 2. Proceedings in the Public Grievance Commission The Public Grievance Commission has so far convened two hearings on 4th September, 2017 and 12th February, 2018. At today's hearing on 12/02/2018, the attendance was as follows: Present Sh. Bharat …
Made under this section, and citing it
3 instruments name this provision in its title or its text without being made under it.
Questions about Section 7
What have the courts held on Section 7 of the Right to Information Act?
Anjali Bhardwaj vs Union of India (15 Feb 2019) is the leading judgment on this section among those set out below: Prescribes 30-day timeline for providing information or rejecting requests; the Court noted this time-bound nature of the Act. Another 2 judgments on this section are set out below, 2 of them from the Supreme Court. They run from 2012 to 2024.
How do I find court cases under Section 7 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 7, section 7 RTI Act, section 7 of the Right to Information Act. People searching for it also type rti 7(1) and rti 7(9). Each opens the full list of orders on eCourtsIndia, where it can be narrowed by court, year and outcome. 3 reported judgments on this section are set out on this page, beginning with Anjali Bhardwaj vs Union of India (15 Feb 2019).
What should I read with Section 7 of the Right to Information Act, and has it changed?
Its own text turns on section 5 (Designation of Public Information Officers), section 6 (Request for obtaining information), section 8 (Exemption from disclosure of information), section 9 (Grounds for rejection to access in certain cases), and on 1 further provision, so none of them can safely be read on its own. 7 other provisions in this corpus refer back to it. 3 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 7 of the Right to Information Act enacted?
Section 7 of the Right to Information Act, cited as RTI Act 7, 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
- 4. Obligations of public authorities643 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 14 Oct 2026. This page is not a substitute for legal advice.