Can a PSU employee file an RTI against their own employer — BHEL, NTPC, ONGC, or SAIL?

Yes. Central Government PSUs are public authorities under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005, because they are substantially funded by, or under the control of, the Central Government. This has been consistently affirmed by courts including the Supreme Court of India. Being an employee of a PSU does not disqualify you from filing an RTI with that PSU — you have the same right as any citizen to seek information about your own service record, your seniority position, the basis of a DPC decision, your APAR entries, or a transfer order. You do not need to explain why you want the information, and your employer cannot treat an RTI application as an act of insubordination.

A junior employee was promoted while I was passed over. What can RTI establish about the DPC proceedings?

A Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) considers vacancy availability, the employee's APAR ratings over the benchmark years, vigilance clearance, and the promotion criteria under the applicable service rules. Through RTI, you can obtain: (1) the number of vacancies that existed in the higher grade when the DPC met; (2) the eligibility criteria applied — minimum years in grade, minimum APAR benchmark; (3) whether your name was included in the zone of consideration; (4) the specific reason recorded by the DPC for not recommending you. If the DPC exceeded its sanctioned vacancies or applied different criteria to different employees, the RTI response will expose this. Note that while you can obtain the criteria and the basis of your own non-selection, the DPC proceedings of other employees (their individual APAR gradings) are typically exempt as third-party personal information — but the DPC's decision basis for your own case is fully accessible.

At what stage of disciplinary proceedings should I file an RTI for the charge sheet and the enquiry officer's report?

You should receive a copy of the charge sheet at the time it is issued to you — this is a statutory requirement of the service rules. If you did not receive a clear copy, you can file RTI at any time to get a copy. The Enquiry Officer's (EO's) report can only be obtained after the enquiry has been concluded, because it is a record that comes into existence only on conclusion. Filing RTI for the EO's report while the enquiry is ongoing will result in an exemption claim under Section 8(1)(h) (information that would impede an ongoing investigation or enquiry). Once the enquiry is concluded and the Disciplinary Authority (DA) passes its order, the EO's report, DA's reasoned order, and all documents forming the basis of the penalty are obtainable through RTI. If the DA's order cites specific service rule provisions, ask RTI for those provisions and the record of how the penalty was determined.

Should I file RTI with the Corporate Office or the Plant/Regional Office of the PSU?

For most employee service matters — promotion, transfer, disciplinary proceedings, APAR entries — the records are held at the Plant or Regional Office where you are posted. File RTI with the CPIO of that specific plant or regional office. For example, a BHEL employee at the Haridwar plant should file with the CPIO at BHEL Haridwar, not at BHEL Corporate Office in New Delhi. On rtionline.gov.in, PSUs are listed under their administrative ministry — you can often find both the Corporate Office and individual plants listed as separate public authorities. If you are unsure, file with the Corporate Office and request that the CPIO transfer the application to the appropriate unit under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act. For policy-level matters — corporate-wide transfer policy, company-level CSR expenditure, or tender awards above a threshold — file with the Corporate Office CPIO.

The PSU did not respond to my RTI within 30 days. What are my options? Is it the CIC or a State Information Commission?

For all Central Government PSUs — BHEL, NTPC, ONGC, SAIL, HAL, Power Grid, GAIL, BPCL, HPCL, IOCL, NLCIL, and others under the administrative control of Central Government ministries — the second appeal authority is the Central Information Commission (CIC). State Information Commissions (SICs) have jurisdiction only over state government bodies and state PSUs, not Central Govt PSUs. If you do not receive a response within 30 days, first file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at the PSU — typically a General Manager (HR) or Director (HR) at the corporate or plant level — within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the CIC under Section 19(3) within 90 days.

Home/Guides/How to File RTI with Central Government PSUs — BHEL, NTPC, ONGC, SAIL Employee Service Matters and Contracts

Central Government

How to File RTI with Central Government PSUs — BHEL, NTPC, ONGC, SAIL Employee Service Matters and Contracts

Step-by-step guide to file an RTI with Central Government Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) such as BHEL, NTPC, ONGC, SAIL, HAL, Power Grid, and GAIL for employee service matters (promotion, transfer, disciplinary proceedings, APAR), tender/contract information, and CSR spending. All Central Govt PSUs are public authorities under RTI Section 2(h). Second appeal: CIC.

Updated 24 May 2026

Quick Facts

MinistryMinistry of Heavy Industries / Ministry of Power / Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas / Ministry of Steel (varies by PSU)

Address RTI ToCPIO at the Corporate Office or relevant Regional/Plant Office of the specific PSU

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).

Central Government Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) — including Navratna and Maharatna companies such as BHEL, NTPC, ONGC, SAIL, HAL, Power Grid Corporation, and GAIL — are public authorities under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. Because they are substantially financed by, or under the control of, the Central Government, they are fully subject to RTI obligations and must appoint CPIOs and respond to RTI applications within 30 days.

The RTI Act does not carve out any exception for employment relationships: a PSU employee can file an RTI against their own employer for service matters in exactly the same way as an outside citizen. This guide covers how to use RTI to address promotion disputes, transfer policy compliance, disciplinary proceedings, APAR entries, tender transparency, and CSR accountability in Central Government PSUs.

Key Central Government PSUs Covered

The guide covers PSUs under Central Government ministries. Note that state government PSUs (e.g., MSEDCL, KSRTC, TANGEDCO) are administered by state governments and their second appeal lies with the relevant State Information Commission, not the CIC.

PSU	Ministry	Sector	How to Identify CPIO
BHEL (Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited)	Ministry of Heavy Industries	Power equipment manufacturing	Corporate Office: BHEL House, New Delhi; Plant offices at Haridwar, Bhopal, Trichy, Hyderabad, etc.
NTPC Limited	Ministry of Power	Power generation	Corporate Office: SCOPE Complex, New Delhi; Project/Station offices at each power plant
ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation)	Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas	Petroleum exploration	Corporate Office: New Delhi; Asset/Basin offices at Mumbai, Dehradun, Nazira, Vadodara, etc.
SAIL (Steel Authority of India Limited)	Ministry of Steel	Steel production	Corporate Office: New Delhi; Plant offices at Bhilai, Bokaro, Rourkela, Durgapur, Burnpur
HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited)	Ministry of Defence	Defence aerospace	Corporate Office: Bengaluru; Division offices at Bengaluru, Nashik, Koraput, Hyderabad, etc.
Power Grid Corporation of India	Ministry of Power	Power transmission	Corporate Office: Gurugram; Regional Transmission System (RTS) offices across India
GAIL (India) Limited	Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas	Natural gas transmission	Corporate Office: New Delhi; Regional offices and Pipeline stations
BPCL / HPCL / IOCL	Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas	Petroleum refining and retail	Corporate Offices: Mumbai (BPCL, HPCL), New Delhi (IOCL); Regional offices and refineries
NLCIL (NLC India Limited)	Ministry of Coal	Lignite mining and power	Corporate Office: Neyveli, Tamil Nadu; Rajasthan Project Office

Employee Service Matters: What RTI Can Establish

Issue	What to Ask	Realistic Expectation
Promotion bypassed	Seniority list position; DPC proceedings and vacancy count; eligibility criteria applied; specific reason for non-recommendation	Get the DPC's own recorded basis for not selecting you; confirm whether a vacancy existed; verify the criteria were uniformly applied
Transfer	Applicable rotation transfer policy for your grade; whether your specific transfer was within normal tenure; whether your hardship representation was considered	Confirm if transfer deviated from the stated rotation policy; establish a paper trail before approaching the FAA or a court
Disciplinary proceedings	Copy of charge sheet (if not received); Enquiry Officer's report after enquiry is concluded; Disciplinary Authority's reasoned order	Get the full evidentiary basis of the penalty imposed; identify procedural lapses (e.g., EO's report not supplied before DA's order)
APAR / ACR	Own APAR entries — overall grading, communication of entry to employee, outcome of any representation	Verify the grade awarded and whether the required communication procedure was followed; a withheld or uncommunicated APAR can be grounds to challenge the grading
Seniority dispute	Current seniority list for your cadre; inter se seniority position of employees promoted together	Establish exact seniority position relative to colleagues; identify whether a more senior employee was overlooked in a promotion exercise

Contracts and CSR: What RTI Can Establish

Tender and contract transparency: PSU contracts above threshold values are governed by internal procurement manuals and General Financial Rules (GFR). RTI can expose: the tender evaluation criteria, the winning bid and awarded value, whether the contract went to the lowest technically compliant bidder, deviations from procurement rules, and the current execution status of a project. This is relevant both for contractors who lost bids and for citizens who want to ensure that PSU infrastructure projects are awarded and executed without irregularity.

CSR accountability: PSUs with net worth above ₹500 crore, turnover above ₹1,000 crore, or net profit above ₹5 crore in any of the preceding three financial years must spend at least 2% of the average net profit on CSR activities under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013. The DPE (Department of Public Enterprises) also issues separate CSR guidelines for Central Govt PSUs. For communities near PSU plants and projects, RTI can establish: total CSR obligation vs. actual spend; project-wise allocation in a specific district; implementing agencies and amounts released; and whether unspent CSR funds were properly transferred to the Unspent CSR Account.

Where to File

All Central Government PSUs are accessible on rtionline.gov.in:

Select the relevant Central Government Ministry (e.g., Ministry of Heavy Industries for BHEL, Ministry of Power for NTPC)
Select the PSU from the list of public authorities under that ministry (Corporate Office or the specific plant/regional office, depending on where records are held)
Draft your application with employee ID, grade, plant/unit name, and the specific service matter or contract reference
Pay ₹10 online. BPL cardholders are exempt
Submit and note your registration number

Some PSUs also have their own RTI portals on their official websites (e.g., ONGC's website has an RTI section, as does NTPC's). However, rtionline.gov.in is the primary government platform and is generally preferable as it provides a trackable registration number and integrates with the national RTI system.

Corporate Office vs. Plant/Regional Office: For matters that arose at a specific plant or project site — your promotion at a particular plant, a transfer order issued by a plant-level authority, or a contract awarded by a project office — direct the RTI to the plant or regional office. For company-wide policy documents (overall transfer policy, grade-wise promotion criteria, company-level CSR report) — direct to the Corporate Office CPIO. If uncertain, file with the Corporate Office and request a transfer under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act to the appropriate office.

What Specific Information Can You Ask For

Promotion and seniority:

Seniority list as on date for the grade/cadre of Grade at Plant/Unit — names, employee IDs, and seniority positions
DPC proceedings for promotion to Grade held in year — number of vacancies, eligibility criteria, zone of consideration, and basis of non-recommendation for Employee ID XXX
Whether a vacancy existed in the higher grade on the date the DPC was convened, and the sanctioned strength vs. actual strength at that time

Transfer: 4. The rotation transfer policy and normal tenure for Grade XXX at Plant/Unit 5. Whether transfer order dated DD/MM/YYYY for Employee ID XXX was in accordance with the rotation policy 6. Whether hardship representation submitted by Employee ID XXX on DD/MM/YYYY was placed before the competent authority — decision and reasons

Disciplinary proceedings: 7. Copy of charge sheet / articles of charge for Employee ID XXX 8. Copy of Enquiry Officer's report for the enquiry conducted against Employee ID XXX (request after enquiry is concluded) 9. Disciplinary Authority's order — penalty imposed and the specific service rule provision cited

APAR / ACR: 10. APAR entries for Employee ID XXX for assessment years YYYY-YY and YYYY-YY — overall grading and whether entry was communicated to the employee 11. Outcome of any representation filed by Employee ID XXX against the APAR entry for YYYY-YY — whether the entry was revised

Tender / contract: 12. Tender details for Project Name at Plant/Unit — tender reference, estimated value, number of bids, contractor selected, awarded value, and selection basis 13. Current execution status of contract for Project Name — whether on schedule, and if delayed, the reason

CSR spending: 14. Total CSR obligation and actual expenditure for PSU Name for FY YYYY-YY 15. List of CSR projects in District/State for FY YYYY-YY — project name, implementing agency, amount sanctioned, amount released, completion status

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): File with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) at the PSU — typically the General Manager (HR) or a Director-level officer at the corporate or plant level — within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. The contact details for the FAA are usually listed on the PSU's website alongside the CPIO details.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): File with the Central Information Commission (CIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or non-response. All Central Government PSUs — BHEL, NTPC, ONGC, SAIL, HAL, Power Grid, GAIL, BPCL, HPCL, IOCL, and others under Central Government ministries — are Central Government public authorities. The second appeal always goes to the CIC, not to any State Information Commission. State SICs handle state government bodies and state PSUs only.

Sample RTI Application Draft

To,
The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO),
[PSU Name — e.g., Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)]
[Corporate Office / Plant Office / Regional Office Name and Address
 e.g., BHEL House, Siri Fort, New Delhi – 110049
 OR: BHEL, Heavy Electrical Equipment Plant, Haridwar – 249403]

Subject: Application under the Right to Information Act, 2005 — [Employee Service Matter / Promotion / Transfer / Disciplinary Proceedings / APAR / Tender / CSR Spending]

Sir/Madam,

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

Employee / Reference details (fill as applicable):
  PSU Name and Plant/Unit: [e.g., BHEL, Heavy Electrical Equipment Plant, Haridwar]
  Employee Name: [Full Name]
  Employee ID / Personnel Number: [XXX]
  Designation / Grade: [e.g., Engineer-II, E2 Grade]
  Department / Section: [e.g., Manufacturing — Turbine Shop]

Information sought:

1. The seniority list as on [DD/MM/YYYY] for the grade/cadre of [e.g., Engineer-II / E2] at [Plant/Unit Name] — showing the names and employee IDs of all employees in the cadre, their date of joining the grade, and their position in the seniority list.

2. The Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) proceedings for the promotion exercise held in [year/quarter] for promotion to [Grade, e.g., Engineer-I / E3] at [Plant/Unit]:
   (a) Whether a vacancy existed in the higher grade at the time the DPC was convened — number of vacancies considered;
   (b) The eligibility criteria applied (years in grade, APAR rating threshold, vigilance clearance requirement);
   (c) The names and employee IDs of employees considered by the DPC;
   (d) The basis on which the above employee (Employee ID [XXX]) was not recommended — specific reason recorded by the DPC.

3. The transfer policy applicable to the grade/cadre of Employee ID [XXX] — specifically:
   (a) The rotation transfer policy for this grade, including the normal tenure at a station;
   (b) Whether Employee ID [XXX]'s transfer order dated [DD/MM/YYYY] was in accordance with the rotation policy and the applicable transfer guidelines;
   (c) Whether a hardship representation submitted by Employee ID [XXX] on [DD/MM/YYYY] was considered by the competent authority — and if so, the decision and reasons.

4. [If a disciplinary enquiry is involved] In the disciplinary proceedings against Employee ID [XXX]:
   (a) A copy of the charge sheet / articles of charge issued to the employee;
   (b) A copy of the Enquiry Officer's report (after the enquiry has been concluded);
   (c) The decision of the Disciplinary Authority — the penalty imposed and the specific provisions of the service rules under which it was imposed.

5. The Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR / ACR) entries for Employee ID [XXX] for the assessment years [YYYY-YY] and [YYYY-YY] — specifically:
   (a) The overall grading / numerical score awarded in each year;
   (b) Whether the employee was communicated the APAR entry and given an opportunity to make a representation;
   (c) Whether any representation by the employee was accepted and if the entry was revised.

6. [For tender/contract matters] Details of the tender / contract awarded for [Project Name / Description], [Plant/Unit]:
   (a) Tender reference number, date of notice inviting tender, and estimated contract value;
   (b) Number of bids received and names of bidders;
   (c) Name of the successful contractor / vendor and the awarded contract value;
   (d) The evaluation criteria applied and the basis for selection of the successful bidder;
   (e) Current project execution status — whether the contract is on schedule, and if delayed, the reasons.

7. [For CSR matters] CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) spending by [PSU Name] for the financial year(s) [YYYY-YY]:
   (a) Total CSR budget allocated and total amount actually spent during the year;
   (b) List of all CSR projects undertaken in [District/State] — project name, implementing agency, amount sanctioned, amount released, and completion status;
   (c) Whether any CSR amount remained unspent and was transferred to the Unspent CSR Account under the Companies Act, 2013.

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

I request 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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