Section 2 – THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, 2005

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “appropriate Government” means in relation to a public authority which is established,
constituted, owned, controlled or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly—
(i) by the Central Government or the Union territory administration, the Central Government;
(ii) by the State Government, the State Government;
(b) “Central Information Commission” means the Central Information Commission constituted
under sub-section (1) of section 12;
(c) “Central Public Information Officer” means the Central Public Information Officer designated
under sub-section (1) and includes a Central Assistant Public Information Officer designated as such
under sub-section (2) of section 5;
(d) “Chief Information Commissioner” and “Information Commissioner” mean the Chief
Information Commissioner and Information Commissioner appointed under sub-section (3) of section
12;

(e) “competent authority” means—
(i) the Speaker in the case of the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of a State
or a Union territory having such Assembly and the Chainnan in the case of the Council of States
or Legislative Council of a State;
(ii) the Chief Justice of India in the case of the Supreme Court;
(iii) the Chief Justice of the High Court in the case of a High Court;
(iv) the President or the Governor, as the case may be, in the case of other authorities
established or constituted by or under the Constitution;
(v) the administrator appointed under article 239 of the Constitution;
(/) ‘information” means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-rnails,
opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks. contracts, reports, papers, samples,
models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which
can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force;
(g) “prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this Act by the appropriate Government or
the competent authority, as the case may be;
(Ii) “public authority” means any authority or body or institution of self- government established
or constituted—
(a) by or under the Constitution;
(b) by any other law made by Parliament;
(c) by any other law made by State Legislature;
(ci) by notification issued or order made by the appropriate Government,
and includes any—
(i) body owned, controlled or substantially financed;
(ii) non-Government organisation substantially financed,
directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate Government;
(i) “record” includes—
(a) any document, manuscript and file;
(b) any microfilm, microfiche and facsimile copy of a document;
(c) any reproduction of image or images embodied in such microfilm (whether enlarged or
not); and
(ci) any other material produced by a computer or any other device;
(I) “right to information” means the right to information accessible under this Act which is held
by or under the control of any public authority and includes the right to—
(i) inspection of work, documents, records;
(ii) taking notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records;
(iii) taking certified samples of material;
(iv) obtaining information in the form of diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in any
other electronic mode or through printouts where such information is stored in a computer or in
any other device;
(k) “State Information Commission” means the State Information Commission constituted under
sub-section (1) of section 15;
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(1) “State Chief Information Commissioner” and “State Information Commissioner mean the
State Chief Information Commissioner and the State Information Commissioner appointed under subsection (3) of section 15;
(in) ‘State Public Information Officer” means the State Public Information Officer designated
under sub-section (1) and includes a State Assistant Public Information Officer designated as such
under sub-section (2) of section 5;
(n) “third party” means a person other than the citizen making a request for information and
includes a public authority.