The Tamil Nadu State Information Commission has been receiving queries about the format in which Second Appeal under Section 19(3) of Right to Information Act is to be submitted. In this connection, a format has been evolved and is appended below, along with Guidelines on filing of Appeal.

Guidelines:

1. There is no need to pay any fees for this appeal.
2. The appeal should be on plain paper.
3. The contents should be typed (including a computer print-out) or written legibly.
4. As this is a statutory appeal, the use of letterhead or inclusion of irrelevant material should be avoided.
5. The appeal should not be addressed to the names of the Chief Information Commissioner or any State Information Commissioner (as per Rule 3(2) of the Tamil Nadu Information Commission (Appeal Procedure) Rules).
6. The appeal must bear the signature of the petitioner.
7. Appeals may be returned for the following reasons:
   1. Petition filed directly to the Commission without approaching the Public Information Officer or First Appellate Authority.
   2. First Appellate Authority under Section 19(1) not approached before filing the Second Appeal.
   3. Requesting the Commission to collect and provide information (The Commission is not a repository).
   4. Second Appeal filed beyond the 90-day time limit from the First Appeal decision.
   5. Required documents not enclosed.
   6. The Public Authority does not come under the State Information Commission's purview.
   7. The appeal is not signed.
   8. The appeal is illegible or unintelligible.
   9. The matter does not relate to any public authority under the RTI Act.
   10. The appeal is on the letterhead of an association, organization, or party.
   11. Combining multiple RTI petitions in a single Second Appeal.
8. A format for Second Appeal under Section 19(3) is appended. The appeal should be in accordance with the requirements of Rules 3 and 4 of the Tamil Nadu Information Commission (Appeal Procedure) Rules.
9. This Form is only for Second Appeal to be filed before the State Information Commission and does not apply to first appeal under Section 19(1) before the appellate authority (officer senior to the Public Information Officer).