FormatsHow to write to a government office
A letter to a public office should be easy to file and hard to misread. Address the officer by post (The Tehsildar, The Sub-Divisional Officer, The Station House Officer), not by name. Give the numbers that identify you in that office's records: consumer number, ward number, application number.
State facts and dates, then say exactly what you want done. Attach copies, never originals. Take two copies of the letter and ask for a dated receiving stamp on one. That stamped copy is your proof.
Look for the online route first
Many services that once needed a letter, such as certificates, complaints and lost-article reports, now have an online form on a state portal or app. Where an online form or a printed form exists, the office will ask you to use it. The letters here are for offices that accept a plain application, and for covering letters.
If nothing happens
- Write again to the same officer, quoting the date of your first letter.
- Then write to the next senior officer, attaching both letters.
- For information held by a public office, an application under the Right to Information Act, 2005 is often the most effective step.
Rules, forms and fees differ from state to state and change over time. Confirm them with the office concerned. Facts on these pages were last checked on 11 November 2026.