Definitions.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--

1. (a) "appropriate Government" means in relation to a public authority which is established, constituted, owned, controlled or substantially financed by funds provided directly or indirectly--
   • (i) by the Central Government or the Union territory administration, the Central Government;
   • (ii) by the State Government, the State Government;
2. (b) "Central Information Commission" means the Central Information Commission constituted under sub-section (1) of section 12;
3. (c) "Central Public Information Officer" means the Central Public Information Officer designated under sub-section (1) and includes a Central Assistant Public Information Officer designated as such under sub-section (2) of section 5;
4. (d) "Chief Information Commissioner" and "Information Commissioner" mean the Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioner appointed under sub-section (3) of section 12;
5. (e) "competent authority" means--
   • (i) the Speaker in the case of the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of a State or a Union territory having such Assembly and the Chairman in the case of the Council of States or Legislative Council of a State;
   • (ii) the Chief Justice of India in the case of the Supreme Court;
   • (iii) the Chief Justice of the High Court in the case of a High Court;
   • (iv) the President or the Governor, as the case may be, in the case of other authorities established or constituted by or under the Constitution;
   • (v) the administrator appointed under article 239 of the Constitution;
6. (f) "information" means any material in any form, including records, documents, memos, e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force;
7. (g) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act by the appropriate Government or the competent authority, as the case may be;
8. (h) "public authority" means any authority or body or institution of self- government established or constituted--
9. (a) by or under the Constitution;
10. (b) by any other law made by Parliament;
11. (c) by any other law made by State Legislature;
12. (d) by notification issued or order made by the appropriate Government, and includes any--
    • (i) body owned, controlled or substantially financed;
    • (ii) non-Government organisation substantially financed, directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate Government;
    • (i) "record" includes--
13. (a) any document, manuscript and file;
14. (b) any microfilm, microfiche and facsimile copy of a document;
15. (c) any reproduction of image or images embodied in such microfilm (whether enlarged or not); and
16. (d) any other material produced by a computer or any other device;
17. (j) "right to information" means the right to information accessible under this Act which is held by or under the control of any public authority and includes the right to--
    • (i) inspection of work, documents, records;
    • (ii) taking notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records;
    • (iii) taking certified samples of material;
    • (iv) obtaining information in the form of diskettes, floppies, tapes, video cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through printouts where such information is stored in a computer or in any other device;
18. (k) "State Information Commission" means the State Information Commission constituted under sub-section (1) of section 15;
19. (l) "State Chief Information Commissioner" and "State Information Commissioner" mean the State Chief Information Commissioner and the State Information Commissioner appointed under subsection (3) of section 15;
20. (m) "State Public Information Officer" means the State Public Information Officer designated under sub-section (1) and includes a State Assistant Public Information Officer designated as such under sub-section (2) of section 5;
21. (n) "third party" means a person other than the citizen making a request for information and includes a public authority.