Right to Information Act, 2005

The Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) is an act of the Parliament of India and the Delhi Legislative Assembly which sets out the rules and procedures regarding citizens' right to access information. It replaced the former Freedom of Information Act, 2002.

Under the provisions of the 2005 RTI Act, any citizen of India may request information from a "public authority" (a body of Government or "instrumentality of State") which is required to reply within thirty days, or within 48 hours in case of the matter involving a petitioner's life and liberty. The Act also requires every public authority to computerize their records for wide dissemination and to proactively publish certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request information formally.

Although Right to Information is not included as a Fundamental Right in the Constitution of India, it protects the fundamental rights to Freedom of Expression and Speech under Article 19(1)(a) and Right to Life and Personal Liberty under Article 21 guaranteed by the Constitution. The authorities under RTI Act 2005 are called public authorities.