Sikkim State Right to Information (Regulation of Fee, Cost and Miscellaneous) Rules, 2005

Response Timeline

30 days under RTI Act 2005, s.7(1). Life or liberty requests: 48 hours (s.7(1) proviso). If information from a third party: 40 days. BPL applicants are exempt from all fees. Application fee: Rs.100 — the highest in India. Fee deposited via bank receipt under Major Head 0070.OAS (E). Copy charges: Rs.2/page (A-3/A-4); Rs.50/CD. Inspection: Rs.10 for first hour; Rs.5 per 15 minutes thereafter.

Exemptions

• Information affecting sovereignty, integrity, security, or relations with foreign states (s.8(1)(a))
• Information expressly forbidden by court or which would constitute contempt (s.8(1)(b))
• Information whose disclosure is prohibited by Parliament/Legislature (s.8(1)(c))
• Cabinet papers including deliberations of the Council of Ministers (s.8(1)(i))
• Trade secrets or commercial confidence causing competitive harm (s.8(1)(d))
• Information held in fiduciary capacity (s.8(1)(e))
• Information received in confidence from a foreign government (s.8(1)(f))
• Information that would impede investigation, prosecution, or fair trial (s.8(1)(g),(h))
• Personal information with no public interest justification (s.8(1)(j))

Exemptions mirror RTI Act 2005 ss.8-9. Notwithstanding any exemption, information that cannot be denied to Parliament/Legislature cannot be denied to a citizen (s.8(2)). Public interest override applies (s.8(2)).

Appeal Process

Sikkim Information Commission (sicsikkim.nic.in) handles second appeals.

Sources & References

• Full text of law →
• Primary source →
• https://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/content/state-level-rti-sikkim
• https://sikkim.gov.in/departments/sikkim-information-commission/rules-regarding-fee-and-cost