The Right to Information Act, 2005

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,

1.   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;  

a.  

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 Chairman 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;  

a.  

b.  

c.  

d.  

e.  

f.   "information" means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, 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;  

h.   "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;    

d.   by notification issued or order made by the appropriate Government, and includes any-

  i.   body owned, controlled or substantially financed;      

  ii.   non-Government organization substantially financed, directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate Government;

a.  

b.  

c.  

d.  

e.  

f.  

g.  

h.  

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    

d.   any other material produced by a computer or any other device;  

a.  

b.  

c.  

d.  

e.  

f.  

g.  

h.  

i.  

j.   "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;  

a.  

b.  

c.  

d.  

e.  

f.  

g.  

h.  

i.  

j.  

k.   "State Information Commission" means the State Information Commission constituted under sub-section (1 ) of section 15;  

l.   "State Chief Information Commissioner" and "State Information Commissioner" mean the State Chief Information Commissioner and the State Information Commissioner appointed under sub-section (3 ) of section 15;  

m.   "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.