According to the provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005, whi

According to the provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2005, which one of the following statements is correct ?

No reasons are required to be given for seeking information.
Information is to be supplied free of cost after two weeks from the date of making the application.
Where an application is made to a public authority for information which is held by another public authority, the application must be transferred within one week to that public authority having the information.
If an information relates to the life of a person, the information must be supplied within one week under section 7(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
This question was previously asked in
UPSC SO-Steno – 2017
The correct answer is A. No reasons are required to be given for seeking information.
Section 6(2) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, explicitly states that an applicant making a request for information shall not be required to give any reason for requesting the information. This is a fundamental principle of the Act, enabling citizens to access information without needing to justify their request.
Statement B is incorrect. Information is to be supplied within 30 days normally (Section 7(1)). While fees apply, information is supplied free of cost *only* if it is not provided within the specified time limit (Section 7(6)). Two weeks is not the standard free supply period.
Statement C is incorrect. If an application is transferred to another public authority under Section 6(3), the transfer must be made as expeditiously as possible but *not later than five days* from the date of receipt of the application.
Statement D is incorrect. Where the information sought concerns the life or liberty of a person, the information must be supplied within *forty-eight hours* of the receipt of the request (Section 7(1) proviso).
The RTI Act imposes specific time limits for providing information, generally 30 days, but a shorter 48-hour limit for matters concerning life or liberty. Failure to adhere to these limits without reasonable cause can lead to penalties for the Public Information Officer.