How and when to use RTI to address Court Certified Copy Delays Check whether the order is already online Search the official eCourts services portal or the relevant High Court website using the case number, Case Number Record (CNR) number, party name or order date. eCourts provides case status and access to uploaded orders and judgments for participating courts. An online order may be sufficient for reading or reference. If a certified copy is required for a legal proceeding or another official purpose, follow the certified-copy rules of the court concerned. Use the court's certified-copy procedure Apply to the court's copying section or through its online copy service, where available. Keep the copy-application number, receipt, date, case details and any defect communication. In Chief Information Commissioner v. High Court of Gujarat (2020), the Supreme Court considered third-party access to certified judicial records where the High Court rules provided a certified-copy mechanism. The decision supports using the court's copy rules for judicial copies rather than treating RTI as a substitute for that procedure. When RTI can help If the copy application stalls and the registry gives no clear written status, RTI can seek appropriate administrative and registry records such as: Current recorded status of the copy application. Diary or receipt-number trail and date-wise movement. Section where the application or case record is presently held. Certified copy of any defect or objection memo and the date it was communicated. Whether the relevant record is available, sent to another section, not traceable or weeded, as recorded. The rule or prescribed processing time applicable to the copy request. Name and designation of the section or officer presently handling it. Copy-ready RTI wording To, The Public Information Officer, [Name of Court] Subject: Registry information concerning certified-copy application [number] Under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, please provide: 1. The current recorded status of certified-copy application [number] dated [date]. 2. Its diary/receipt trail and date-wise movement between registry sections. 3. The section where the application and relevant case record are presently held. 4. A certified copy of any defect or objection memo and the date it was communicated. 5. The recorded availability/status of the relevant case record. 6. The applicable rule or prescribed processing time, if any. Name, address, date and signature What RTI cannot replace RTI does not replace the certified-copy application, waive the court fee, compel issue of a judicial copy or override a sealing or access order. It can provide the administrative trail when the copy process has stalled. Questions about limitation periods, admissibility or urgent court relief should be taken to the advocate handling the case. If the PIO does not answer the registry-record questions properly, use the first-appeal remedy under the RTI Act. Reviewed by Adv. Syed Musab Rahim Hashmi. Contributed by FileMyRTI. Official references eCourts High Court services eCourts district services Supreme Court judgment in Chief Information Commissioner v. High Court of Gujarat RTI Act, 2005