My adoption application has been pending in CARINGS for over four years. What can RTI tell me — and what can it not do?

RTI can confirm factual, verifiable information about your own registration: whether your CARINGS registration is active, whether your Home Study Report (HSR) has been uploaded and completed, and whether there are any administrative flags on your application. These are records maintained by CARA as a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, and you are entitled to access them. However, RTI cannot compel CARA or an SAA to accelerate a child match, or require CARA to disclose which specific children are available for matching — child-level placement decisions are governed by the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, the Adoption Regulations 2022, and court orders, and are protected under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act as they involve a child's personal information, identity, and best-interest determinations. The purpose of using RTI in a pending adoption case is to ensure your own registration records are complete and accurate, and to obtain aggregate data about waiting times so you can assess whether your wait is consistent with CARA's own published timelines.

I suspect a Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) is conducting illegal adoption practices. How can RTI help identify their compliance and complaint history?

RTI is an effective tool to investigate an SAA's compliance status with CARA. You can ask CARA through an RTI application whether the SAA in question is currently registered and empanelled, whether any inspection, inquiry, or audit has been conducted against the SAA in recent years, whether any complaints were received by CARA against the SAA and the action taken, and whether any suspension, penalty, or cancellation order has been issued against the SAA under the Adoption Regulations, 2022. CARA is the empanelling authority and maintains these records as a public authority. If the SAA is registered with a state government child welfare authority (such as the State Adoption Resource Agency), a separate RTI to that state body would be needed for state-level records. For CARA-level empanelment, regulatory, and compliance records, the RTI should be addressed to CARA's CPIO at rtionline.gov.in under Ministry of Women and Child Development. If you have direct evidence of illegal practices, consider simultaneously filing a complaint with CARA and the Child Welfare Committee in the SAA's district.

I am pursuing inter-country adoption. Are there any special RTI considerations?

Yes. Inter-country adoption (ICA) is a more restricted domain for RTI disclosure than domestic adoption. India ratified the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, and CARA serves as India's Central Authority under that Convention. This means ICA proceedings involve foreign Central Authorities, receiving country embassy or immigration processes, and detailed case-specific court records — these are generally protected from disclosure under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and the Adoption Regulations, 2022, as well as under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act because they involve a child's identity, placement, and personal data. What RTI can legitimately provide in an ICA context: aggregate statistics on the number of ICAs processed and completed in a given year, the list of countries with which India has active bilateral adoption arrangements, CARA's published guidelines and circulars governing ICA, and the current status of your own PAP registration and HSR in CARINGS. RTI cannot compel disclosure of another family's ICA case, the identity of a matched child, or the specific reasons for a match being made or denied in any individual case.

Should I use the CARINGS portal or file an RTI — what is the difference?

The CARINGS portal (cara.wcd.nic.in) is CARA's own operational platform and is your first and most efficient tool for tracking your own adoption application status. Once registered as a PAP, you can log in to CARINGS to view your registration status, the stage of your Home Study Report, your position in the waiting list (in general terms), and any child match that has been offered to you. CARINGS is real-time and designed for this purpose. RTI, on the other hand, is a statutory mechanism under the RTI Act, 2005 that gives you a legally enforceable right to specific documents and information held by CARA as a public authority. Use RTI when: (a) your CARINGS dashboard shows incomplete or incorrect information and you need a formal record to verify or correct it; (b) you want information that CARINGS does not display — such as whether an SAA is under investigation, CARA's aggregate annual statistics, or the regulatory basis for waiting time policies; or (c) you need a written, official response from CARA that you can use in a formal complaint, appeal, or legal proceeding. In short, use CARINGS first for day-to-day tracking, and use RTI when you need formal accountability or information beyond what CARINGS shows.

CARA has not responded to my RTI application within 30 days. What should I do?

If CARA's CPIO does not provide a response within 30 days of receiving your RTI application, you have two options under the RTI Act. First, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at CARA within 30 days of the date of the decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. The FAA must be designated by CARA and is typically a senior officer above the CPIO. On the RTI Online portal, the first appeal option appears in your application's tracking section. If the FAA also fails to respond within the prescribed period, or if the response is still unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the date on which the FAA's decision should have been made. Since CARA is a Central Government body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the second appellate authority is the CIC — not a state Information Commission. The CIC can impose a penalty of up to ₹25,000 on the CPIO under Section 20 of the RTI Act for failure to respond without reasonable cause.

Home/Guides/How to File RTI with CARA — Child Adoption Status, Adoption Agency Registration and CARINGS System

Central Government

How to File RTI with CARA — Child Adoption Status, Adoption Agency Registration and CARINGS System

Step-by-step guide to file an RTI with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) under the Ministry of Women and Child Development for domestic and inter-country adoption application status in CARINGS, Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) registration and compliance, CARA annual adoption statistics, and Adoption Regulations 2022. Covers the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. Includes a ready-to-use sample RTI draft.

Updated 24 May 2026

Quick Facts

MinistryMinistry of Women and Child Development

Address RTI ToCPIO, Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), West Block-8, Wing-2, R.K. Puram, New Delhi – 110066

Application Fee₹10 under RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. Free for BPL cardholders.

Response Time30 days from receipt (Section 7(1), RTI Act 2005). 48 hours if the matter involves life or liberty.

File Online Athttps://rtionline.gov.in

All information on this page is based on the Right to Information Act, 2005 (Act No. 22 of 2005) and the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. First Appeal: Section 19(1). Second Appeal to CIC/SIC: Section 19(3).

The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is a statutory body established under Section 68 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. It functions as the nodal body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development for regulating the adoption of orphan, abandoned, and surrendered children in India, and serves as India's Central Authority under the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. CARA maintains the CARINGS (Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System) platform at cara.wcd.nic.in, through which Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) register, Home Study Reports are uploaded, and child matching is coordinated across Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs) nationwide.

CARA is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. Its records — including SAA registration and compliance data, aggregate adoption statistics, policy guidelines, and the administrative status of PAP registrations — are subject to disclosure under the RTI Act. Citizens can use RTI to obtain formal, documented information from CARA that goes beyond what is visible on the CARINGS dashboard, or to create an official record for use in appeals and complaints.

India's Adoption Process at a Glance

Step	What Happens	Who Is Responsible	Typical Timeline
PAP Registration	Prospective Adoptive Parents register on CARINGS, submit documents	PAP + SAA	1–4 weeks
Home Study Report (HSR)	Licensed social worker (through SAA) visits home, prepares HSR	SAA / Licensed Social Worker	1–3 months
Waiting for Match	CARINGS algorithm matches waiting children to PAPs based on preference, registration date	CARA / SAA	1–7+ years (varies by category)
Match Acceptance / Decline	PAP accepts or declines matched child; child study report (CSR) / Social Investigation Report (SIR) reviewed	PAP	48 hours to a few weeks
Court Order	Adoption petition filed in district court; court order finalises adoption	District Court	1–4 months

Waiting times vary significantly by category: general category children (infants under 2 years) have the longest waits (often 3–7+ years); older children, children with special needs, and sibling groups have shorter waits. Inter-country adoption involves additional steps through CARA, the receiving country's Central Authority, and immigration processes.

What CARA RTI Can and Cannot Provide

Disclosable Information

Information Category	What You Can Ask For
PAP Registration Status	Whether your CARINGS registration is active and whether your HSR has been completed and uploaded
SAA Registration	Whether a named SAA is currently empanelled with CARA; date of empanelment
SAA Compliance	Any suspension, cancellation, penalty, or inquiry against an SAA in recent years
CARA Annual Statistics	Aggregate numbers: domestic adoptions completed, PAPs registered, children available, ICAs processed
Adoption Regulations 2022	Copy of specific regulation provisions, any amendments issued
Policy Basis	The regulatory provision or guideline that governs waiting time, matching criteria, or age/gender preference categories
Complaint Records	Whether a complaint was received against an SAA and the action taken

Protected Information — What RTI Cannot Compel

Information Category	Why It Is Protected
Specific child's identity, background, or placement decision	Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 + Section 8(1)(j), RTI Act (child's personal information and best-interest determination)
Reasons for a specific match being offered or denied	Individual placement decisions under Adoption Regulations 2022; judicial process
Another PAP's registration, HSR, or waiting list position	Third-party personal information, Section 8(1)(j), RTI Act
A child's Court order or legal surrender documents	Judicial records; JJ Act confidentiality provisions
Identity of a child in ICA proceedings	Hague Convention obligations + Section 8(1)(j), RTI Act

Common RTI Use Cases

Verifying your own registration and HSR status: If your CARINGS portal shows an incomplete or unclear status for your Home Study Report, or if your registration appears stuck at a particular stage, you can use RTI to obtain a formal written confirmation from CARA of the current status of your PAP registration and the HSR as recorded in CARINGS.
Checking if an SAA is legitimately empanelled: Before approaching an SAA or if you are already working with one and have concerns, RTI can confirm whether the SAA is currently empanelled with CARA, the date of its empanelment, and whether any disciplinary or regulatory action has been taken against it.
Obtaining CARA's aggregate adoption statistics: Researchers, journalists, civil society organisations, and PAPs who want to understand systemic waiting times can use RTI to obtain CARA's year-wise data on adoptions completed, registered families, available children, and inter-country adoptions processed.
Understanding the regulatory basis for waiting periods: If you want to know which specific regulation or guideline governs how CARA determines waiting periods, matching priority, and category-based preferences, an RTI to CARA can produce the relevant provisions of the Adoption Regulations, 2022 and any circulars issued under them.
Tracking a complaint against an SAA: If you have filed a complaint with CARA against an SAA for misconduct, delay, or illegal practices, an RTI can confirm whether the complaint was registered and what action, if any, has been initiated.
Obtaining specific provisions of the Adoption Regulations, 2022: CARA's Adoption Regulations, 2022 are publicly available, but if you need a certified copy of a specific provision for use in legal proceedings or a formal complaint, an RTI can produce a certified extract.

Where to File

For all CARA-related RTI applications, file at rtionline.gov.in:

Log in or register on the RTI Online portal
Click Submit Request
Select: Ministry of Women and Child Development → Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)
Paste your application text (limit: 3,000 characters); attach as PDF if longer
Pay ₹10 online (net banking, debit/credit card, or UPI); BPL cardholders select the exemption and attach a self-attested copy of their BPL card

State-level child welfare matters — such as complaints against a State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA), state-level child welfare committees, or state government-run child care institutions — are handled by state government departments. RTI for those matters should be filed with the respective state government under that state's RTI portal, and the second appeal body would be the State Information Commission (SIC) of that state, not the CIC.

What Specific Information Can You Ask For

CARINGS registration and HSR status: Ask for the current status of your PAP registration bearing your CARINGS Registration Number, including whether the Home Study Report has been completed, uploaded, and accepted, and the date of each stage.
Home Study Report tracking: If the HSR has been submitted by the SAA, ask whether it has been reviewed by CARA, whether any deficiency was noted, and the current stage of its processing in CARINGS.
SAA registration and empanelment: Ask whether a named SAA is currently empanelled with CARA, the date of its empanelment or last renewal, and whether any suspension, penalty, show-cause notice, or cancellation order has been issued against it under the Adoption Regulations, 2022.
Aggregate adoption statistics: Ask for year-wise aggregate data on: total domestic adoptions completed, total PAPs registered on CARINGS, total children listed as available for adoption on CARINGS, and total inter-country adoptions processed and completed. This is aggregate, non-personal data and is not exempt under the RTI Act.
Adoption Regulations, 2022: Ask for a copy of the specific provisions governing waiting time criteria, matching priority, and SAA eligibility and registration requirements. If CARA has issued any subsequent circulars or amendments modifying these provisions, ask for those as well.
Complaint against an SAA: Ask whether a complaint was received by CARA against a named SAA during a specified period, the nature of the complaint, the status of any inquiry or investigation, and any action taken or pending.

Appeals

First Appeal — First Appellate Authority (FAA), CARA

If CARA's CPIO:

Does not respond within 30 days of receipt of your application, or
Provides an incomplete, incorrect, or unsatisfactory response,

file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at CARA. The appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of the decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. The FAA is a senior officer designated by CARA above the CPIO. On the RTI Online portal, the first appeal option appears in your application's tracking page once the 30-day window has elapsed or a response has been received.

Second Appeal — Central Information Commission (CIC)

If the FAA also does not respond within the prescribed period, or if the FAA's decision is unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the date on which the FAA's decision should have been made.

CARA is a Central Government body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The second appeal body is therefore the CIC — not a State Information Commission.

The CIC can:

Direct CARA to provide the information
Impose a penalty of up to ₹25,000 on the CPIO under Section 20 of the RTI Act for failure to provide information without reasonable cause
Recommend disciplinary action against the CPIO in cases of malafide denial

Second appeals to the CIC can be filed online at cic.gov.in.

Sample RTI Application Draft

To,
The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO),
Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA),
West Block-8, Wing-2, R.K. Puram,
New Delhi – 110066

Subject: Application under the Right to Information Act, 2005 — CARINGS Registration Status, SAA Registration and Compliance, Adoption Statistics, and Adoption Regulations 2022

Sir/Madam,

I, [Your Full Name], residing at [Your Full Address], submit this application under Section 6 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, to seek the following information:

My CARINGS registration details (where applicable):
  PAP Registration ID / CARINGS Registration Number: [Your Registration ID, if applicable]
  Name of Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) with which I am registered: [Name of SAA, if applicable]
  District and State: [Your District and State]

Information sought:

1. Please provide the current status of my registration as a Prospective Adoptive Parent (PAP) bearing CARINGS Registration Number [XXX] on the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS), including whether a Home Study Report (HSR) has been completed and uploaded for my registration, and the date on which it was completed or is pending.

2. Please confirm whether [Name of SAA], located at [Address of SAA], is currently registered and empanelled with CARA as a Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) under the Adoption Regulations, 2022. If any suspension, cancellation, or penalty has been imposed on this SAA in the last three years, please provide: (a) the nature of the action taken; (b) the date of such action; and (c) the reason or grounds for the action.

3. Please provide CARA's aggregate annual statistics for the last three available years on: (a) total number of domestic (in-country) adoptions completed; (b) total number of Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) registered on CARINGS; (c) total number of children available for adoption on CARINGS; and (d) total number of inter-country adoptions processed and completed.

4. Please provide a copy of the relevant provisions of the Adoption Regulations, 2022 that govern: (a) the criteria and procedure for determining the waiting period and matching priority for Prospective Adoptive Parents, including age preference and gender preference categories; and (b) the eligibility criteria and registration requirements for Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs).

5. Please confirm whether a complaint was received by CARA against [Name of SAA] during the period [specify period, e.g., January 2023 to date]. If yes, please provide: (a) the nature of the complaint(s) received; (b) the status of the inquiry or investigation; and (c) any action taken or pending.

I am enclosing the application fee of Rs. 10 [via online payment; Reference No.: [Payment Ref]].

I request you to provide the above information within 30 days as required under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Your Complete Address]
Phone: [Your 10-digit Mobile Number]
Email: [[email protected]]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Replace all text in [square brackets] with your actual details before filing. Do not include the brackets in your submission.

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