How Does Odisha Auto-Appeal System Work Under ORTPSA?
Based on: GAD-AR-ORPJ-0002-2026/26168/AR dated 17.08.2026
When you apply for a notified government certificate, licence, or public service in Odisha, the department must deliver it within a statutory time limit. If the officer fails to issue the service within the prescribed deadline, you no longer need to draft a formal appeal or visit government offices to follow up. The State Government has automated the entire escalation mechanism through the Auto-Appeal System (AAS).
The short answer
If your online application under the Odisha Right to Public Services Act (ORTPSA) is not disposed of by the Designated Officer within the notified timeline, the system automatically converts it into an e-Appeal and sends it to the Appellate Authority. You do not need to file a fresh appeal petition. If the Appellate Authority fails to decide the appeal within 30 days, the portal automatically escalates the case to the Revisional Authority for final orders and potential penalty proceedings against defaulting officers.
What the rule actually says
The General Administration & Public Grievance (AR) Department issued the detailed operational guidelines under Memorandum No. GAD-AR-ORPJ-0002-2026/26168/AR dated 17.08.2026:
"The Auto-Appeal System is designed to automatically escalate an application seeking for public service to the Appellate Authority when the Designated Officer fails to dispose of the application and deliver the notified service within the Given Time Limit as notified under the Act. Similarly, where an appeal is not disposed of by the Appellate Authority within 30 days, the system shall facilitate automatic escalation of the appeal to the Revisional Authority."
The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) mandates that the prescribed service timelines are hardcoded in the software backend. While calculating the due date for delivery, the system excludes official Government holidays.
How it works in practice
The entire process moves through a 10-step automated workflow from initial submission to final disposal or revision:
| Stage | Responsible Authority | Trigger Event / Timeline | System Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Application | Citizen / System | Online submission on service portal | Generates unique Acknowledgement Number; records date and time. |
| 2. Initial Processing | Designated Officer (DO) | Prescribed statutory time limit (excluding holidays) | DO must deliver service or record formal rejection within timeline. |
| 3. Due Date Check | Central Monitoring System | Daily automated scan | Identifies applications pending beyond the hardcoded due date. |
| 4. Auto-Appeal | System / Appellate Authority | Expiry of notified service delivery period | Marks case as "Pending Beyond Timeline" and creates an e-Appeal. |
| 5. Appeal Registration | Appellate Authority | Immediately on trigger | Generates unique Appeal Case ID; lands in Appellate Authority's inbox. |
| 6. Notification | System | Upon e-Appeal creation | Sends alerts via SMS, WhatsApp, and email to Applicant, DO, and Appellate Authority. |
| 7. Auto-Revision | System / Revisional Authority | Expiry of 30 days from Appeal trigger without disposal | Triggers Auto-Revision without any manual citizen request. |
| 8. Revision Registration | Revisional Authority | Immediately on trigger | Generates unique Revision Case ID; appears in Revisional Authority's inbox. |
| 9. Revision Alerts | System | Upon e-Revision creation | Sends digital alerts to Applicant, DO, Appellate Authority, and Revisional Authority. |
| 10. Hearing & Penalty | Revisional Authority | Electronic review and online hearing | Checks audit logs; gives hearing before imposing financial penalty. |
Statutory penalties for delay
Where an officer causes an unjustified delay, the Revisional Authority holds the power to impose financial penalties after giving a reasonable opportunity of being heard:
- Daily penalty rate: ₹250 per day for each day of delay beyond the statutory deadline.
- Maximum penalty ceiling: Up to ₹5,000 for failing to show sufficient and relevant cause.
What you need to do
Because the system is automated, your administrative burden is minimal, but you must track your application correctly:
- Preserve your Acknowledgement Number: When you submit your application online, save the system-generated acknowledgement receipt. This reference number serves as the primary tracking key across all three tiers (Designated Officer, Appellate Authority, and Revisional Authority).
- Provide accurate contact details: Ensure your mobile number and email ID are active. The portal pushes real-time tracking links, Appeal Case IDs, Revision Case IDs, and hearing notices through SMS, WhatsApp, and email.
- Do not submit duplicate manual appeals: Once the statutory deadline passes, wait for the automatic SMS alert confirming the generation of your e-Appeal. Submitting a physical petition or a parallel manual grievance creates duplicate records and confuses the timeline audit log.
- Attend digital hearings if notified: If the Appellate or Revisional Authority schedules an online hearing to resolve disputed documents or reasons for rejection, attend using the link shared in the digital notification.
The Auto-Appeal System ensures that administrative delays are captured automatically in government system logs rather than lost in physical files. By eliminating manual appeal filings, the SOP makes time-bound public service delivery a strictly monitored, default administrative requirement across Odisha.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to pay a fee or file an application to trigger the Auto-Appeal?
No. The Auto-Appeal triggers automatically in the portal as soon as the Designated Officer exceeds the statutory time limit for the notified service. You do not need to file a separate appeal application.
How does the system calculate the due date for a service?
The due date is automatically calculated and hardcoded by the backend system based on the notified timeline under the ORTPS Act, excluding official Government holidays.
What happens if the Appellate Authority does not resolve the appeal within 30 days?
If the Appellate Authority fails to dispose of the appeal within 30 days, the portal triggers an Auto-Revision, generates a Revision Case ID, and escalates the file directly to the Revisional Authority.
What is the penalty for an officer who delays a public service without sufficient cause?
The Revisional Authority can impose a penalty of ₹250 per day for each day of delay, up to a maximum limit of ₹5,000, after providing the concerned official an opportunity of being heard.