Maharashtra New RTI Rules 2026: Three times the fees, condition of ID proof and also the reason to ask… Why is there so much ruckus?

There is a lot of concern and resentment among RTI activists and the general public regarding the new RTI Rules 2026 (RTI Rules, 2026) of the Maharashtra Government. Critics clearly say that many provisions of these new rules will create huge obstacles for common citizens, due to which the basic spirit of the Right to Historical Information Act of 2005 will be destroyed.

These new rules, notified on June 12, have replaced the old structure related to RTI applications in Maharashtra. The government argues that these changes have been made to simplify the process and prevent misuse of RTI. But, activists working on the ground believe that these rules are like placing unnecessary obstacles in the way of those seeking information.

There will be a direct impact on the pocket

The biggest change that has been made in the new rules is to increase the burden of fees:

• RTI application fee has been increased three times from Rs 10 to Rs 30.
• The cost of copying documents has also been increased from Rs 2 to Rs 5 per page.
• If someone wants to see the record, then after the first hour one will have to pay Rs 50 for every hour.
• A fee of Rs 50 has been fixed for the first appeal against the decisions of Public Information Officers (PIO) and Rs 100 for the second appeal to the State Information Commission.

Strict restrictions on words and topics

Apart from the fees, some stringent rules have been added to the 2026 rules which will tie the hands of the applicants:

• Now every RTI application should have only one subject and the word limit has been fixed at around 150 words.
• If there is more than one question or issue in an application, the Public Information Officer (PIO) will answer only the first question and may ask the applicant to make a separate fresh application for the rest.

Controversy over the necessity of identity card

Under the new rules, every applicant will now be required to submit a self-attested photo identity card along with the application to prove his/her citizenship. If ID proof is not provided, the application may be returned. Activists say that this rule is against the basic objective of the RTI Act.

Officers got new powers

The new rules give more leeway to PIOs to refuse to provide information:

If the information sought is already on the government website, then instead of giving a copy of it, the officer can avoid it by just giving a link to the website. Moreover, repeat applications can now be rejected outright without any lengthy hearing.

Some digital and comforting things

However, some modern changes have also been made to these rules for 2026:

• RTI fees can now be paid through UPI and other digital means.
• Conversation via email has now been officially recognised.
• Citizens falling below poverty line (BPL) will continue to get exemption from fees, but now a limit has also been set for this, only the first 50 pages of big files will be given free.

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