Know before you go
Demands work because the demander knows the system and you do not. This page is the counter-knowledge: what to say, what to write, and who is actually paid to act on your complaint.
Ask, politely, for the objection or requirement in writing, quoting your application number. Most demands evaporate here — an illegal demand cannot survive being written down.
Almost every service has a notified fee and, in most states, a legal deadline under the state Right to Public Services Act. Keep a screenshot. Say the number out loud.
If a file stalls after you refuse, file a ₹10 RTI application asking the status of your application, who is holding it, and the prescribed time limit. Files move when someone must sign their name over the delay.
A short written complaint to the immediate superior — registered post or email, keep the receipt — creates a record. Officers protect themselves first; a paper trail changes their arithmetic.
In most Indian states you may record your own conversations. A date, time and counter number written down immediately afterwards is also evidence. Never hand over your phone.
The official channels below can investigate. And thirty seconds here puts the demand on the public map, so the next person walks in knowing the game.
This site is a mirror, not a prosecutor — it shows the pattern but cannot punish anyone. These bodies can.
Every state runs one. Traps are their core work: if a demand is pending, the ACB can catch it in the act. Search “<your state> ACB complaint” for the helpline — many accept WhatsApp complaints.
Independent anti-corruption ombudsmen. State Lokayuktas take complaints against state officials; the Lokpal of India covers central public servants.
For central government departments, banks and PSUs. Online complaints at portal.cvc.gov.in; every department also has a Chief Vigilance Officer.
The all-India grievance portal. Not an anti-corruption body, but complaints get a tracking number and a named officer — useful pressure for stalled services.
Several states run a dedicated anti-corruption helpline (1064 in many of them). A call creates a logged record of the demand.
Refusals matter as much as payments — they show the next person that walking away works.
Report the demand →