Application of section 36 RTI Act

Applicants must be given a schedule of relevant documents (schedule) and a charges estimate notice (CEN) before the end of the processing period, although the requirement to provide a schedule can be waived.

The schedule is a brief description of the documents the agency holds which are within the applicant's scope, including the amount.  A CEN is a written estimate of how much the processing of an access application is likely to cost, including any access charges.

There are two separate time periods involved in the CEN process, although they run concurrently: the revision period and the prescribed period. The revision period begins as soon as the CEN is issued, stopping the processing period; the prescribed period begins on the next business day after the CEN is issued.

For guidance on the CEN process, the schedule, and the relevant timeframes refer to Schedule of relevant documents and charges estimate notices and How to calculate timeframes

Last updated: November 25, 2021