Right to Information

With the establishment of republic states, a concept which denotes that the ownership of the state lies with people was evolved. State and the public institutions are maintained by the tax monies of people. Thus, the fundamental principle being established is that the people have the right to know information of which the functions of the state are accomplished using public funds.

The Army is maintained through public funds and is mandated to perform assigned tasks with transparency and commitment. The Army without compromising national security concerns is all the time prepared to furnish information as required in line with the provisions of the Information Act.

Whereas the Constitution guarantees the right of access to information in Article 14A thereof and there exists a need to foster a culture of transparency and accountability in public authorities by giving effect to the right of access to information and thereby promote a society in which the people of Sri Lanka would be able to more fully participate in public life through combating corruption and promoting accountability and good governance.

Access to Information

Act - Right to Information Act No. 12 of 2016

Orders - Special Gazette No. 2004/66 dated February 03, 2017

Regulations - Special Gazette No. 2006/43 dated 17 February 2017

Public Authority - Sri Lanka Army, in order to receive information related to the Sri Lanka Army under the above Act, an RTI 01 application can be referred to the Information Officer mentioned in the Act. Submission of this application is not mandatory

Access to Information Application Form - Download

Procedure for Request of Information

   Submit a written RTI-01 application or a letter or an oral request to the Information Officer and receive the acknowledgement.

   You would be notified as soon as possible or anyhow within a period of 14 days whether information sought by you can be provided.

   If decision is made to provide required information against a fee that has been determined by the Commission, you would be notified accordingly.

   You would be provided with requested information within 14 days against the payment of the relevant fee or free of charge.

   If it is difficult to provide the information within 14 days after payment of the stipulated fee, the information officer while stating the reasons attributed to the delay would seek an additional period of time for the reply not exceeding 21 days.

   In the event information sought relates to the life and personal liberty of a citizen, the response to the request will be made within 48 hours of receiving the request.

In relation to a request for information

   Refusal to accept any request for information;

   Denial of access or the request for certain information exempted from disclosure under Section 5 of the Act;

   Failure to comply with time limits as specified in the Act;

   Provision of incomplete, misleading or inaccurate information;

   Imposition of Excess Fees;

   Refusal by the Information Officer to provide information as requested in the format submitted;

   If the citizen requesting the information is dissatisfied with the access to the information on reasonable grounds due to distortion, misplacement of information or purposeful elimination, the applicant could file an appeal within 14 days to the designated officer, named below. The decision of the designated officer would be communicated within 21 days.

Fees for Information

The following Fees may be charged by a Public Authority for provision of information in response to a RTI request:

   Photocopying:

     - Rs. 2/- (one side) and 4/- (both sides) of one paper, for the information provided on A4 (21 cm x 29.7 cm) and smaller size paper

     - Rs. 4/- (one side) and 8/- (both sides) of one paper for the information provided on paper that is Legal size (21.59 cm x 35.56 cm) and upto A3 (29.7 cm x 42 cm)

      - Information provided on paper bigger than those mentioned above will be at actual cost.

   Printout:

      - Rs. 4/- (one side) and 8/- (both sides) of one paper, for the information provided on A4 (21 cm x 29.7 cm) and smaller size paper

      - Rs. 5/- (one side) and 10/- (both sides) of one paper for the information provided on paper that is Legal size (21.59 cm x 35.56 cm) and upto A3 (29.7 cm x 42 cm)

      - Information printed on paper bigger than those mentioned above will be at actual cost.

   Rs. 20/- for copying information onto a Diskette, Compact Disc, USB mass drive, or similar electronic device, provided by the citizen making the request.

   Actual cost for copying information onto a Diskette, Compact Disc, USB mass drive, or similar electronic device provided by the Public Authority

   Rs. 50/- per hour for the study or inspection of any document or material, or inspection of a construction site, if this takes longer than one hour, with the first hour of study/inspection being provided free of charge. This shall be without prejudice to the practice of public authorities which previously provided such inspection free of charge and which practice shall continue notwithstanding this sub-rule.

   Samples or models will be charged the actual cost.

   Information provided via e-mail will be free of charge.

Note: The appeal application form to the designated officer Download

You may also appeal to the Right to Information Commission, if dissatisfied with the Designated Officer's decision or failure to receive a decision within 21 days.

Phone :- 011 2691625, 0112691265
Email :- rticommission16@gmail.com
Address :-
Director General/ Chairman
Right to Information Commission of Sri Lanka
Rooms No 203-204, Block 2,
Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall,
Bauddhaloka Mawatha,
Colombo 07

The appeal application form to the Right to Information Commission Download