CIC Launches AppCoMS 2.0 for RTI Second Appeals

CIC launches AppCoMS 2.0 portal for RTI appeals and complaints

Battle Brief

On 17 August 2026 the Central Information Commission launched AppCoMS 2.0, its upgraded Appeal and Complaint Management System for second appeals and complaints under the RTI Act, 2005. Applicants and CPIOs now get user accounts linked to e-mail and mobile. Applicants can track timelines and download notices, and the Commission can sign orders digitally.

Fact File

Date: 17 Aug 2026
Body: Central Information Commission (CIC)
Portal: AppCoMS 2.0
Law: Right to Information Act, 2005
First version: September 2016
New features: user accounts, case timelines, Digital Signature Certificates

In the news

The CIC’s AppCoMS 2.0 portal: what happened?

Under the RTI Act, if a citizen is unhappy with a reply and the first appeal, the next step is a second appeal to the Information Commission. Handling thousands of such cases on paper is slow. An online system makes it faster and easier to track.

Applicants file second appeals and complaints through their own accounts.
They can view case timelines, access documents and download hearing notices and orders.
CPIOs get accounts to see cases and submit documents.
Orders issued by post from 1 August onwards will be uploaded on the new portal.

Back Story

What is AppCoMS?

An online portal first introduced by the CIC in September 2016.
It handles registration, hearing schedules and uploading of decisions end to end.

Why examiners care

Why does the CIC’s AppCoMS 2.0 portal matter?

Transparency: Easier tracking of RTI appeals.
Efficiency: Digital signing speeds up orders.

Exam Radar

What can Prelims ask on the CIC’s AppCoMS 2.0 portal?

AppCoMS: CIC portal for RTI second appeals and complaints (since 2016; 2.0 in 2026).
Second appeal under the RTI Act lies to the Information Commission.

How to use this in Mains

GS-II Governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance

As per PIB (2026-08-17): the Central Information Commission launched AppCoMS 2.0, its upgraded second-appeals and complaints portal, on 17 Aug 2026.
A better portal should speed up RTI appeals.

Quotable data point
The Central Information Commission launched AppCoMS 2.0, its upgraded second-appeals and complaints portal, on 17 Aug 2026.
PIB: DoPT: CIC AppCoMS 2.0, 17 Aug 2026

Practice MCQs

Original practice questions (not PYQs).

Practice · UPSC

AppCoMS, upgraded in 2026, is a portal of which body?

Answer (b) & explanation

PIB (DoPT), 17 Aug 2026.

Quick questions

Questions students ask about this

What is AppCoMS 2.0?

The Central Information Commission's upgraded portal for RTI second appeals and complaints, launched on 17 August 2026.

What is new in it?

User accounts for applicants and CPIOs, case timelines, document access and digitally signed orders.

When was the first AppCoMS introduced?

In September 2016.