Which RTI route applies to this authority?

The Central RTI Online portal is not a single filing destination for every public authority in India. Its current notice says that requests concerning state authorities, including authorities under the Government of NCT Delhi, should not be filed there. It warns that such requests will be returned without a fee refund. 1

Identify the authority before the portal

Write down the exact public authority that holds or controls the records. Do not stop at a broad subject such as “roads” or “education”. A subject can involve several organisations with different responsibilities.

Use the authority's official RTI page to identify its Public Information Officer information and current filing instructions. Where applicable, check the state's official RTI arrangements. Do not assume every state has the same online portal, fee method or form.

Two hypothetical routing examples

A person living in Hyderabad seeks a record held by a Central ministry. Living in Telangana does not by itself make that a state-authority request.

Another person seeks a municipal record. The existence of a central national portal does not make that municipality a Central public authority. The relevant body's official RTI instructions should determine the route.

These examples explain the distinction; they do not identify the correct officer for a particular real request.

Use a directory as a lead, not proof

The Local Government Directory can help establish which local body or administrative unit you are dealing with. It does not, by itself, identify the officer holding a specific file or supply a verified RTI filing procedure for every body. 2

Likewise, do not assume a sponsored search result or a third-party “RTI service” is the government's own filing channel. Open the authority's official site independently before submitting personal information or making a payment.

Preserve a small audit trail

Keep the authority name, official instructions used, date, request text and registration or receipt reference. When using the Central portal, its FAQ explains how an acknowledgement and routing to the nodal officer or CPIO work. Those details describe that portal, not every state's process. 3

A routing error does not establish that an authority deliberately withheld information. First determine whether the request reached the correct body and what the actual reply says.