Section 7 – THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, 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.
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(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.