Is the Rajasthan Forest Department a public authority under the RTI Act?

Yes. The Rajasthan Forest Department — including the office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) at Van Bhawan, Jaipur; all Chief Conservators of Forests (CCFs); Conservators of Forests (CFs); Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) and their Ranges; and the Field Directors of all Tiger Reserves and the Directors of all National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries in Rajasthan — are public authorities within the meaning of Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. They are established by and under the State Government of Rajasthan, exercising statutory functions under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (WPA), the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA). As public authorities, they are legally obligated to respond to RTI applications within 30 days of receipt, and to maintain their records in a manner that facilitates disclosure under their Section 4 suo motu obligations.

What is Rajasthan's forest and wildlife profile — what makes Ranthambore and Sariska historically significant?

Rajasthan holds a remarkable diversity of ecosystems — from the dry deciduous forests and rocky hills of the Aravalli range, to semi-arid scrub, grasslands, wetlands, and the Thar Desert — supporting an exceptional range of wildlife. Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (Sawai Madhopur district) is one of India's most celebrated tiger reserves and arguably the world's most photographed wild tiger habitat; it is set against a dramatic backdrop of medieval forts and dry deciduous forest, allowing close, reliable sightings that are rare in other tiger landscapes. Sariska Tiger Reserve (Alwar district) holds a unique place in conservation history: it was the first tiger reserve in India where tigers became locally extinct due to large-scale poaching (acknowledged officially in 2004–05), and subsequently the first reserve where tigers were successfully reintroduced from Ranthambore — a landmark exercise in intra-species relocation under Project Tiger. Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (Kota–Jhalawar area) is the state's third tiger reserve, notified in 2013, covering the Chambal ravine-forest landscape. Keoladeo National Park (also called Ghana Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its extraordinary concentration of migratory waterfowl — historically hosting thousands of Siberian cranes (now critically endangered) and still a critical stopover for ducks, geese, waders, and raptors on the Central Asian Flyway. Desert National Park (Jaisalmer–Barmer) is the largest protected area in India (3,162 sq km) and the last stronghold of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard. Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary (Churu district) is a short-grass plain famous for blackbuck and associated raptors. Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary (Sirohi) is Rajasthan's only hill-station forest — a unique ecological island of subtropical hill forest in an otherwise arid state, home to leopard, sambar, and rare endemic plants. The Forest Department administers all these Protected Areas along with Reserved Forests, Protected Forests, and Community Reserve areas across the state.

What is the Great Indian Bustard crisis and how can RTI help obtain protection records from Desert National Park?

The Great Indian Bustard (GIB, Ardeotis nigriceps) is one of the world's most critically endangered birds — with fewer than 150 individuals estimated to survive in the wild, almost entirely in Rajasthan's Desert National Park (Jaisalmer–Barmer) and small populations in Kutch (Gujarat). The GIB's catastrophic decline — from an estimated population of several thousand in the 1960s to fewer than 150 today — is attributed to habitat loss, hunting, and, most critically in recent decades, collision with overhead power lines that now criss-cross the Thar Desert. The Supreme Court of India, in M.K. Ranjitsinh vs Union of India (ongoing), directed that overhead power lines in GIB habitat areas in Rajasthan and Gujarat be either undergrounded or fitted with bird diverters. Implementation of this direction — involving multiple agencies including the Forest Department, the Power Ministry, and electricity companies — has been contested and delayed. RTI to the Rajasthan Forest Department (DFO, Desert National Park / Field Director, if designated) or to the Wildlife Warden can yield: the latest population estimate from camera-trap or walk surveys conducted in Desert National Park; records of GIB mortality incidents with cause-of-death determination; correspondence between the Forest Department and power distribution companies regarding the undergrounding directive; and the status of any conservation breeding programme (the Forest Department, WII, and SAC have collaborated on captive breeding at Jaisalmer). This is among the most consequential RTI information that can be sought in the context of Rajasthan's biodiversity — the GIB is considered a flagship umbrella species for the arid ecosystem.

How does the Forest Rights Act 2006 apply to tribal communities in Rajasthan, and what records can RTI reveal?

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) recognises the pre-existing forest rights of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers who have depended on forest land for generations but whose rights were not recorded when colonial-era forest settlements were made. In Rajasthan, the FRA is particularly significant in the tribal districts of southern and south-eastern Rajasthan — Banswara, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Pratapgarh, and Rajsamand — where Bhil, Mina, Meena, Garasia, and other Scheduled Tribe communities have lived within or adjacent to forests for centuries. Implementation of the FRA requires a three-tier process: Gram Sabha recognition of claims, Sub-Divisional Level Committee (SDLC) scrutiny, and District Level Committee (DLC) final approval with the issuance of titles. In practice, the implementation of the FRA in Rajasthan — as in many states — has been marked by mass rejection of claims without proper Gram Sabha hearings, failure to issue titles even for claims approved by the DLC, and eviction drives that proceeded without completing the FRA process (a direction specifically prohibited by Supreme Court orders). RTI to the Divisional Forest Officer (for records of claims affecting Reserved Forest land within their division), the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (for SDLC records), or the District Collector (for DLC records and final title issuance data) can reveal: the total number of IFR and CFR claims filed district-wise; the approval, rejection, and pendency rate at each stage; the stated grounds for rejection (which can be challenged if legally infirm); whether rejected claimants were given an opportunity to be heard; and whether forest land evictions were carried out in compliance with the FRA's mandatory pre-eviction verification requirements. This data is essential for tribal rights advocacy and for legal challenges before the Rajasthan High Court.

What is the First Appeal process if the Forest Department does not respond within 30 days?

If the Rajasthan Forest Department's CPIO — whether at the DFO level, the CCF level, or the PCCF's office — does not respond within 30 days of receiving your RTI application, or if the response is incomplete, incorrect, provides inadequate information, or refuses disclosure without citing a valid legal exemption, you have the right to file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. Address the First Appeal to the First Appellate Authority (FAA) — typically the officer one rank above the CPIO, such as the Conservator of Forests (CF) or the Additional PCCF for applications filed at the DFO level, or the PCCF himself for applications at a CCF's office. No fee is payable for the First Appeal. In the appeal, clearly state: the original RTI registration number and the date of filing; a precise description of what information was not provided or inadequately provided; and the reason why any refusal is not justified under Sections 8 or 9 of the RTI Act. The FAA must dispose of the First Appeal within 30 days, extendable to 45 days only if adequate reasons are recorded in writing.

Does the second appeal go to the Central Information Commission (CIC) or the Rajasthan State Information Commission (RSIC)? What is the Section 20 penalty?

The second appeal for any RTI application addressed to the Rajasthan Forest Department — including the PCCF's office, any CCF, any DFO, any Wildlife Warden, or the Field Director of any tiger reserve in Rajasthan — lies exclusively with the Rajasthan State Information Commission (RSIC), not the Central Information Commission (CIC). The CIC's jurisdiction is confined to public authorities established by or under the Central Government. The Rajasthan Forest Department is a state government body; it falls within the RSIC's jurisdiction. Filing a second appeal with the CIC in error — which citizens unfamiliar with this distinction sometimes do, particularly if they have previously filed RTI with Central Government forest bodies like the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) or the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) — will result in dismissal for lack of jurisdiction and waste valuable time. File the Second Appeal under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act with the RSIC within 90 days of the FAA's order or the expiry of the FAA's response deadline. In the Second Appeal, explicitly request the RSIC to consider imposing the penalty available under Section 20 of the RTI Act: if the RSIC finds that the CPIO refused to receive an application, failed to respond without reasonable cause, or knowingly provided incorrect or misleading information, it may impose a penalty of ₹250 for each day of default up to a maximum of ₹25,000, to be paid personally by the CPIO. The RSIC may also recommend disciplinary action against the CPIO for persistent or malafide non-compliance.

Home/Guides/RTI for Rajasthan Forest Department — Ranthambore, Sariska Tiger Reserve, Forest Land and FRA Rights Records

Rajasthan

RTI for Rajasthan Forest Department — Ranthambore, Sariska Tiger Reserve, Forest Land and FRA Rights Records

How to use RTI with the Rajasthan Forest Department to obtain Ranthambore/Sariska tiger reserve records, forest land encroachment ATRs, Forest Rights Act 2006 tribal claim status, CAMPA fund utilisation, Great Indian Bustard/Desert NP data, and wildlife poaching ATRs in Rajasthan.

Updated 6 Jun 2026

Quick Facts

MinistryForest Department, Government of Rajasthan

Address RTI ToCPIO, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), [relevant Forest Division]; or CPIO, Office of PCCF, Van Bhawan, Jaipur – 302005, Rajasthan

Application Fee₹10 (free for BPL cardholders)

Response Time30 days (48 hours for life and liberty matters)

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 Rajasthan Forest Department — headquartered at Van Bhawan, Jaipur, under the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) — administers over 32,000 square kilometres of forest and Protected Area across one of India's most ecologically diverse states. From the tiger-rich dry deciduous forests of Ranthambore and Sariska, to the wetland bird haven of Keoladeo (Bharatpur), the vast arid landscape of Desert National Park (Jaisalmer), and the unique hill forests of Mount Abu, the Rajasthan Forest Department holds a body of records — on tiger census and poaching, forest land encroachment, Forest Rights Act 2006 tribal claims, CAMPA fund utilisation, and wildlife crime — that are entirely accessible through the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Rajasthan's forests face intense pressure: encroachment on Reserved Forest land, poaching of tigers and leopards, illegal felling, and development projects that divert forest land for roads, railways, and power infrastructure. At the same time, tribal communities in the southern districts — Banswara, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Pratapgarh, and Rajsamand — have long-standing claims to forest land under the FRA 2006, many of which remain unresolved or were rejected without due process. The RTI Act provides the statutory mechanism for citizens, journalists, researchers, tribal rights advocates, and wildlife conservationists to examine the Forest Department's records and hold the department accountable to its legal obligations.

Why RTI Matters for Rajasthan's Forests and Wildlife

Tiger Reserve Records — Ranthambore and Sariska

Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (Sawai Madhopur district) is built around the historic Ranthambore Fort and its surrounding dry deciduous forest — a landscape of rocky ridges, lakes, and dhok-tree forests that has produced some of the most iconic wildlife photographs in the world. With approximately 70–75 tigers counted in the latest All-India Tiger Estimation exercises, Ranthambore has one of the densest tiger populations relative to its core area. The Field Director of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and the office of the Deputy Director/DFO hold records on tiger census data, individual tiger tracking, mortality cases, and wildlife crime.

Sariska Tiger Reserve (Alwar district) occupies a defining chapter in Indian conservation history. By 2004–05, Sariska had lost its entire tiger population to large-scale organised poaching — the first such total local extinction recorded in a Project Tiger reserve. The revelation triggered a national inquiry, political consequences, and, ultimately, a landmark conservation experiment: tigers were translocated from Ranthambore to Sariska beginning in 2008, making it the world's first successful intra-species translocation of tigers within a country. Today Sariska has a small but breeding tiger population, and its Field Director holds records on translocation documentation, tiger identification, mortality incidents, and buffer zone management.

RTI to the Field Directors of these reserves, or to the DFO of the relevant Forest Division, can yield census data, cause-of-death records for individual tiger deaths, incident registers for poaching and wildlife crime, and the status of court proceedings in wildlife offence cases.

Forest Land Encroachment and ATR Records

Forest encroachment — the occupation or cultivation of Reserved Forest or Protected Forest land without legal authority — is one of the most prevalent and politically sensitive issues facing the Rajasthan Forest Department. The Aravalli hill range, which passes through Alwar, Jaipur, Ajmer, Pali, and Sirohi districts, has been subject to significant encroachment, development pressures, and quarrying — much of it documented in Supreme Court orders in the ongoing Aravalli forest protection case (T.N. Godavarman Thirumalpad vs Union of India, Writ Petition (C) No. 202/1995). Similarly, Reserved Forests in Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Baran, and the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan face persistent encroachment.

When a forest encroachment complaint is filed — with the Beat Guard, Range Forest Officer (RFO), DFO, or the Collector — the Forest Department is obligated to investigate, demarcate the boundary, and if encroachment is confirmed, initiate removal action under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the Rajasthan Forest Act. In practice, Action-Taken Reports (ATRs) on encroachment complaints are often delayed, incomplete, or never served to the complainant. RTI to the DFO of the relevant forest division allows any person to obtain the ATR directly — creating an official documentary record of whether the department acted on a complaint.

Forest Rights Act 2006 — Tribal Claims in Southern Rajasthan

The FRA 2006 is a transformative law that recognises the historical injustice done to Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers, who lived on and cultivated forest land for generations but whose rights were not recognised when colonial forest settlements were gazetted. In Rajasthan, the Act has particular significance in the tribal districts of the south and south-east: Banswara, Dungarpur, Udaipur, Pratapgarh, and Rajsamand, where Bhil, Mina (Meena), Garasia, Saharia, and other communities have traditional land use patterns deeply intertwined with forest landscapes.

The FRA implementation process requires Gram Sabha-level recognition of claims, followed by scrutiny at the Sub-Divisional Level Committee (SDLC — typically chaired by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate with participation from the DFO), and final approval at the District Level Committee (DLC — chaired by the District Collector). Titles are issued on the basis of DLC approval. Implementation in Rajasthan has been contested: tribal rights organisations have documented mass rejections without proper hearings, evictions on forest land before the FRA process was completed, and approvals not followed up with physical title delivery.

RTI to the DFO (for records relating to claims on Reserved Forest land), the SDM (for SDLC records), or the District Collector (for DLC approval data and title issuance statistics) provides the factual foundation for advocacy and legal challenge. The data sought — total claims filed, approval and rejection rates, grounds of rejection, pendency at each stage — directly reveals the quality of implementation at the district level.

CAMPA Fund Utilisation

CAMPA — the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority — manages funds collected from project proponents who divert forest land for non-forest purposes (roads, railways, power lines, mining, irrigation) under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. For every hectare of forest diverted, the project proponent must pay for compensatory afforestation of equivalent degraded land, plus an additional Net Present Value (NPV) charge reflecting the ecosystem services of the diverted forest. These funds are deposited into the National CAMPA Authority, which releases them to state forest departments for compensatory plantation, forest management, and wildlife habitat improvement activities.

Rajasthan is among the states that receive substantial CAMPA funds annually, given the scale of infrastructure development — highways, railways, power transmission, and irrigation canals — that requires forest diversion across the state. The PCCF's office (CAMPA cell) administers the utilisation of these funds through Annual Plan of Operations (APOs) approved by a State Advisory Group. CAMPA records — how much was received, how much spent, which plantations were sanctioned and where, what survival rates were achieved, and how much remains unspent — are public records. RTI to the PCCF's office (CAMPA cell) or the relevant CCF yields this information.

Great Indian Bustard and Desert National Park

Desert National Park (DNP), straddling Jaisalmer and Barmer districts with an area of 3,162 sq km, is India's largest National Park and the last substantial population stronghold of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB). The GIB — a large, ground-nesting bird with an extremely small population now estimated below 150 individuals — is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is scheduled under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (the highest protection category, equivalent to endangered species under the WPA). The primary threat driving the GIB toward extinction in recent decades has been collision with overhead power lines, which are invisible to the low-flying birds as they cross the Thar Desert.

In 2021, the Supreme Court of India in M.K. Ranjitsinh vs Union of India directed that overhead power lines in GIB priority habitat areas in Rajasthan and Gujarat be placed underground or fitted with bird flight diverters. Implementation of this order has been the subject of ongoing litigation, with competing claims from the power sector and the Ministry of Power about technical and cost feasibility. RTI to the DNP Field Director/Wildlife Warden and to the PCCF's office (wildlife wing) can reveal: survey-based population estimates; mortality records disaggregated by cause of death; correspondence between the Forest Department and electricity distribution companies about the undergrounding/diverter directions; and the status of any captive conservation breeding programme at the facility near Jaisalmer.

Wildlife Crime and Poaching ATRs

Rajasthan's wildlife — tigers, leopards, sambar, chinkara, blackbuck, sloth bear, and various bird species — faces significant poaching pressure. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB, a Central Government body) and the state police collaborate with the Forest Department on wildlife crime enforcement, but the Forest Department itself registers cases, conducts raids, and initiates prosecution under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Section 50 of the WPA gives forest officers and police officers broad powers of search, seizure, and arrest in wildlife crime cases.

RTI to the PCCF (Wildlife) or to the Field Director of a tiger reserve or wildlife sanctuary provides the aggregate statistics on wildlife offences registered, arrests made, seizures, and conviction rates — data that is fundamental to any assessment of whether wildlife protection enforcement is actually working in Rajasthan.

Structure of the Rajasthan Forest Department

The Rajasthan Forest Department operates through a hierarchical territorial structure:

PCCF and Additional PCCFs (Van Bhawan, Jaipur): The apex authority for the department. The PCCF is the Head of Department; Additional PCCFs head specific functions (Wildlife, CAMPA, Working Plan, Production). The PCCF's office functions as CPIO for state-level consolidated records.
Chief Conservators of Forests (CCFs): Regional heads overseeing forest circles (e.g., Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaipur, Bharatpur circles). CCFs have their own CPIOs for circle-level records.
Conservators of Forests (CFs): Head individual forest divisions at a supervisory tier; function as First Appellate Authority for DFO-level RTI applications in many cases.
Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs): The front-line administrative authority for a Forest Division. The DFO is the CPIO for records of that division — including encroachment complaints, lease records, beat-wise plantation data, illegal felling cases, and FRA claim documentation on Reserved Forest land within the division.
Field Directors of Tiger Reserves and Directors/Wardens of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries: These officers manage the day-to-day administration of individual Protected Areas. Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (Sawai Madhopur), Sariska Tiger Reserve (Alwar), Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (Kota), Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur), Desert National Park (Jaisalmer), Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary (Churu), Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary (Sirohi), and Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (Bundi) each have Field Directors or Wildlife Wardens who function as CPIOs for their respective Protected Areas.

What RTI Can Obtain from the Rajasthan Forest Department

Tiger Census and Status Data

Camera-trap survey outputs, population estimates disaggregated by reserve/circle, individual tiger identification records, and mortality registers (including cause-of-death for each recorded death). The All-India Tiger Estimation reports provide national figures; RTI to the Field Director gives reserve-specific granular data not always published in full.

Poaching and Wildlife Crime Registers

Forest offence registers maintained by each DFO/Field Director, listing cases registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and allied laws — including case numbers, dates, accused names and addresses, wildlife/forest products seized, FIR details, and case status (under investigation, charge-sheeted, trial pending, convicted/acquitted).

Forest Encroachment Survey Records and ATRs

Survey reports of joint demarcation exercises to verify or disprove encroachment claims; notices issued to encroachers; eviction/removal action records; court cases filed for restoration of forest land; and the final ATR on a specific complaint.

FRA 2006 Claim Processing Data

District-wise and SDLC-wise records of individual and community forest rights claims — received, pending, approved, and rejected — and the grounds of rejection for individual cases. These records span both the Forest Department (for forest land classification) and the Revenue/Tribal Department (for overall FRA implementation), but the DFO's office holds the records of forest land verifications.

CAMPA Annual Plans of Operations

The Annual Plan of Operations (APO) for each state, including project-wise work sanctioned, amounts released, plantations carried out (location, area, species), survival rate assessments from inspection reports, and unspent balances. These are public accountability documents for compensatory afforestation funds.

Great Indian Bustard and Critically Endangered Species Records

Population survey reports, mortality records, power-line incident data, correspondence with power companies, and conservation breeding programme status reports for GIB and other Schedule I species in Rajasthan's Protected Areas.

Step-by-Step Guide to Filing RTI with the Rajasthan Forest Department

Step 1: Identify the Right Office and CPIO

The correct CPIO depends on the nature of the information sought:

Tiger reserve or National Park records (census, poaching, mortality, management): File with the Field Director of the relevant reserve or the DFO of the relevant Wildlife Division.
Forest encroachment ATR for a specific village or block: File with the DFO of the Forest Division covering that area.
FRA 2006 claim data for a district: File with the DFO (for Reserved Forest land aspects) and separately with the District Collector's office (for overall SDLC/DLC data).
CAMPA fund utilisation (state-level): File with the PCCF's office (CAMPA cell), Van Bhawan, Jaipur.
Great Indian Bustard conservation records: File with the Field Director/Wildlife Warden, Desert National Park, Jaisalmer, or with the PCCF (Wildlife), Jaipur.
State-level wildlife crime statistics: File with the PCCF (Wildlife), Van Bhawan, Jaipur.

Under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act, if you file with a wrong office, the CPIO must transfer the application within five days to the correct office. It is nonetheless more efficient to file directly with the appropriate authority.

Step 2: Draft Specific, Numbered Questions

Refer to the sample RTI requests above for model phrasing. For each question:

For tiger/wildlife data: specify the reserve name, the year/survey period, and the exact data type (mortality cause, poaching incidents, court case status).
For encroachment ATRs: provide the village name, tehsil, district, approximate date of complaint filing, and any complaint registration number.
For FRA claims: specify the district, tehsil, and stage (Gram Sabha, SDLC, DLC) for which data is sought, and whether you want individual or community forest rights figures or both.
For CAMPA: specify the financial year and whether you want state-level aggregate or circle/division-wise breakdown.
For GIB and Desert NP: specify the survey year and the exact data type (population estimate, mortality records, power-line compliance status).

Step 3: File Online via rtionline.gov.in

The Rajasthan Forest Department accepts RTI applications through the central RTI online portal at https://rtionline.gov.in. Online filing is strongly recommended as it generates a registration number, creates an automatic timestamp, and allows online payment of the ₹10 fee. BPL cardholders filing by post must attach an attested copy of their BPL ration card to claim fee exemption.

For postal filing, address the application to the appropriate CPIO:

The CPIO, Office of the PCCF, Van Bhawan, Jaipur – 302005, Rajasthan (for state-level records, CAMPA, wildlife wing records).
The CPIO, Field Director, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, Sawai Madhopur – 322001, Rajasthan (for Ranthambore-specific records).
The CPIO, Field Director, Sariska Tiger Reserve, Alwar – 301001, Rajasthan (for Sariska-specific records).
The CPIO, Wildlife Warden, Desert National Park, Jaisalmer – 345001, Rajasthan (for Desert NP and Great Indian Bustard records).
The CPIO, DFO, relevant Forest Division, district, Rajasthan (for division-level encroachment, plantation, forest offence, and FRA-related forest land records).

Step 4: Track the 30-Day Response Timeline

Under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, the CPIO must respond within 30 days of receipt. Where the information directly concerns the life or liberty of a person — for example, records about ongoing evictions that immediately threaten the homes and livelihoods of tribal families — the response is due within 48 hours under the proviso to Section 7(1). Retain all acknowledgement receipts and registration numbers for follow-up.

Key RTI Act Provisions for Forest Department Applications

Section 2(h): The Rajasthan Forest Department and all its offices — PCCF, CCFs, DFOs, Field Directors, Wildlife Wardens — are public authorities exercising statutory powers under state and central forest/wildlife laws.
Section 2(f): Tiger census data, poaching registers, encroachment ATRs, FRA claim processing records, CAMPA APOs, and GIB mortality records are all "information" within the meaning of the RTI Act.
Section 6: Filing procedure and ₹10 fee.
Section 7(1): 30-day response deadline; 48-hour deadline for life and liberty matters.
Section 19(1): First Appeal to the First Appellate Authority within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.
Section 19(3): Second Appeal to the Rajasthan State Information Commission (RSIC).
Section 20: Personal penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) imposable by the RSIC on a CPIO for unjustified delay or refusal.

First Appeal — Section 19(1)

If the Forest Department CPIO does not respond within 30 days, or provides an incomplete or unjustified refusal, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. Address it to the First Appellate Authority: typically the Conservator of Forests (for DFO-level applications), the Additional PCCF (for CCF-level applications), or the PCCF (for applications at the Additional PCCF level). No fee is payable. State the original registration number, specify precisely what information was not provided, and explain why any refusal is not justified under the RTI Act's exemptions. The FAA must decide within 30 days, extendable to 45 days with reasons recorded.

Second Appeal — Section 19(3) — Rajasthan State Information Commission (RSIC)

If the First Appeal is rejected, unanswered, or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) with the Rajasthan State Information Commission (RSIC) within 90 days of the FAA's order or the expiry of the FAA's response deadline. The RSIC — not the Central Information Commission (CIC) — is the exclusive second-appeal authority for all Rajasthan state public authorities, including all offices and field formations of the Rajasthan Forest Department.

This distinction is critical and a frequent source of confusion. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) are Central Government bodies — RTI against them goes to the CIC. But the Rajasthan Forest Department, its DFOs, its Field Directors, and the PCCF's office are state government bodies. Second appeals against them lie with the RSIC in Jaipur. Filing erroneously with the CIC will result in rejection for want of jurisdiction.

At the RSIC, explicitly request the Commission to consider imposing the Section 20 penalty if the CPIO's delay or refusal was without reasonable cause. Under Section 20, the RSIC can impose ₹250 for each day of default up to ₹25,000 payable personally by the CPIO, and recommend disciplinary proceedings for persistent or malafide non-disclosure.

Practical Tips for Forest Department RTI Applications

Address tiger reserve RTI to the Field Director, not the PCCF. The Field Director holds the reserve-specific records — camera-trap data, individual tiger files, mortality records, buffer zone management plans. The PCCF's office holds state-level aggregates and policy correspondence; go to the Field Director for ground-level data.
For encroachment ATRs, provide the beat and range name if known. Forest Department records are indexed by beat (the smallest territorial unit), range (a group of beats), and division (a group of ranges). Including the beat/range name in your RTI application speeds retrieval.
For FRA claims, file with both the DFO and the District Collector. FRA implementation involves both the Forest Department (forest land classification) and the Revenue/Tribal Affairs Department (SDLC and DLC administration). Filing RTI with both offices gives a complete picture of where claims are getting stuck.
For CAMPA, request both the APO and the survival assessment reports. The Annual Plan of Operations records what was sanctioned; the survival assessment (conducted two to three years after plantation) records whether the trees actually survived. Comparing APO plantation targets with survival assessment outcomes is the most effective way to assess CAMPA programme quality.
For GIB records, also consider filing RTI with the Rajasthan Energy Department/DISCOMS. If you want records specifically on power-line undergrounding compliance (pursuant to Supreme Court directions), the relevant CPIO is in the energy sector — the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (RVPN) or the relevant DISCOM — not the Forest Department. Both sets of records are necessary for a complete picture.
For wildlife crime, request both the FO register and the court case status. Forest offence registers give the cases registered; the court case status (which the DFO/Field Director can provide, or which can be independently verified on the Rajasthan High Court's e-Courts portal) gives the conviction rate. The gap between cases registered and convictions obtained is a standard metric for wildlife law enforcement effectiveness.
Specify the time period in all requests. "Details of encroachments" is too broad; "Action-Taken Report on the complaint filed by name/village on or around month/year, registered with the DFO division" is specific and actionable.
Mount Abu is a distinct ecological unit — address RTI to the Mount Abu Wildlife Warden. Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary (Sirohi district), Rajasthan's only hill-station forest with its unique subtropical moist forest ecosystem, has a dedicated Wildlife Warden whose office holds management plan records, patrol logs, leopard monitoring data, and encroachment/encroachment ATR files specific to the sanctuary.
The Second Appeal is to RSIC, not CIC. Never file a second appeal on a Rajasthan Forest Department matter with the Central Information Commission. The Rajasthan State Information Commission, headquartered in Jaipur, is the sole second-appeal authority for all Rajasthan state public authorities.
RTI records can directly support NGT and High Court petitions. Forest encroachment data, FRA rejection records, CAMPA utilisation figures, GIB mortality data, and wildlife crime ATRs obtained through RTI are directly usable as documentary evidence in proceedings before the National Green Tribunal (NGT Western Zone, Jodhpur), the Rajasthan High Court (Jodhpur and Jaipur benches), and the Supreme Court (in matters like the Aravalli encroachment case and GIB protection litigation).

Rajasthan's forests — from Ranthambore's dhok-tree valleys where tigers stride past medieval ramparts, to the windswept grasslands of Desert National Park where the last Great Indian Bustards pick their way between power-line towers — are among the most ecologically important and most threatened landscapes in India. The Rajasthan Forest Department, as the legal custodian of these forests and the statutory authority for their protection, holds the records that determine whether that protection is real or merely notional. The RTI Act is the citizen's instrument for examining those records — and the Rajasthan State Information Commission provides the enforcement mechanism when the department falls short of its obligations to disclose.

Sample RTI Application Draft

Please provide the following information related to Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (Sawai Madhopur) / Sariska Tiger Reserve (Alwar) [delete as applicable] for the most recent complete year for which data is available: (a) the total tiger population estimate from the latest All-India Tiger Estimation/camera-trap survey conducted within the reserve; (b) the number of tiger deaths recorded within reserve boundaries, specifying cause of death for each — natural, poaching, road/rail accident, electrocution, inter-animal conflict, or undetermined; (c) the number of poaching or wildlife crime incidents registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, within the reserve or its buffer zone; (d) the number of cases in which charge-sheets have been filed in court; and (e) the number of convictions obtained.
Please provide the Action-Taken Report (ATR) on the complaint(s) of encroachment on Reserved Forest / Protected Forest land at [village/location], [district/tehsil], Rajasthan, registered with or reported to the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), [Forest Division], on or around [date/year] — specifically: (a) whether a joint demarcation/survey was conducted to verify encroachment; (b) the area found to be encroached (if any); (c) whether any eviction/removal action was initiated under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, or the Rajasthan Forest Act; (d) whether any FIR was lodged; and (e) the current status of the encroachment as of the date of this application.
Please provide the following details regarding the processing of claims filed under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA), in [district/tehsil], Rajasthan, as of the date of this application: (a) the total number of individual forest rights (IFR) claims received by the Sub-Divisional Level Committee (SDLC); (b) the number of claims approved, rejected, and pending at the Gram Sabha, SDLC, and District Level Committee (DLC) stages respectively; (c) for rejected claims, the stated grounds for rejection; (d) the total community forest rights (CFR) claims received and their current status; and (e) whether any rejected individual claimants have been offered an appeal hearing under the FRA rules.
Please provide the details of CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) funds received by the Rajasthan Forest Department and utilised in the financial year 20__–__, including: (a) the total CAMPA funds received from the National CAMPA Authority or transferred from the Rajasthan ad hoc CAMPA account during the year; (b) a project-wise list of afforestation, plantation, and wildlife habitat improvement works sanctioned under CAMPA, with the amounts sanctioned, released, and spent; (c) the area (in hectares) under compensatory afforestation planted during the year and the survival rate reported for plantations carried out in the previous year; and (d) the total unspent CAMPA balance as of 31 March 20__.
Please provide the following information regarding the Desert National Park (Jaisalmer/Barmer) and the conservation status of the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) in Rajasthan for the most recent year available: (a) the population estimate of the Great Indian Bustard recorded in Rajasthan based on the latest survey conducted by the Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), or any other authorised agency; (b) the number of Great Indian Bustard deaths recorded, with cause (power-line collision, predation, poaching, or other); (c) the status of implementation of orders/directions for underground power lines or bird diverters in identified Great Indian Bustard habitats in Jaisalmer and Barmer districts; and (d) any conservation breeding or supplementation programme data available at the facility at SAC (if applicable) or any other centre.
Please provide the following information about wildlife crime and poaching incidents in Rajasthan's Protected Areas and Reserved Forests for the financial year 20__–__: (a) the total number of wildlife offences registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, in Rajasthan; (b) a forest division-wise breakup of cases registered; (c) the number of accused persons arrested; (d) the number of cases in which seizures were made (specifying the type of wildlife/wildlife products seized); and (e) the number of cases pending trial, charge-sheeted and sub-judice, and resulting in conviction, along with the penalty imposed in conviction cases.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Rather have us file it for you?

We research your case, identify the right department, draft the RTI with proven language, and file it on your behalf. Pay ₹149 + GST only after we've done the work.

File RTI — it's free to start