Originally, the Right to Information Act, 2005 applied to all States and Union Territories of India except which State, which had its own separate Right to Information law at that time?

Introduction / Context:
The Right to Information Act, 2005 is a landmark transparency law in India, giving citizens the right to seek information from public authorities. However, because of the special constitutional status of one State at that time, the central RTI Act did not automatically apply there. Instead, that State enacted its own separate RTI law. This question checks whether you know which State was the exception when the RTI Act was first implemented.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The law referred to is the Right to Information Act, 2005 of the Union.
• The question asks about the original coverage of this Act across States and Union Territories.
• We are to identify the State which was not covered because it had a separate RTI law.
• Options list several Indian States, some with special arrangements.

Concept / Approach:
At the time RTI Act, 2005 came into force, the State of Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed special status under Article 370 of the Constitution. Union laws did not automatically apply to this State unless specifically extended. Jammu and Kashmir had its own State level RTI Act, enacted by its legislature. Therefore, the central RTI Act originally applied to all other States and Union Territories but not to Jammu and Kashmir. That situation changed only after constitutional developments in 2019, but exam questions based on the original arrangement still expect Jammu and Kashmir as the answer.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Article 370 gave Jammu and Kashmir a distinct constitutional position in relation to Union laws. Step 2: Remember that the Union RTI Act, 2005 was extended to all other States and Union Territories but not automatically to Jammu and Kashmir. Step 3: Note that Jammu and Kashmir enacted its own Right to Information law to cover transparency issues within the State. Step 4: Select Jammu and Kashmir from the options as the State that was initially exempt from the central RTI Act.

Verification / Alternative check:
Official summaries of the RTI Act and Indian polity books explain that due to Article 370, central laws like RTI had to be separately extended to Jammu and Kashmir, and that the State adopted its own legislation instead. Exam oriented MCQs and explanations commonly stress that RTI Act, 2005 did not apply to Jammu and Kashmir at the time of its original enforcement, which confirms this answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Nagaland, Goa, Sikkim, and Mizoram: None of these States had a constitutional arrangement that automatically excluded them from the central RTI Act. They were covered by the Union RTI law along with the rest of the country. Although these States may have their own rules or administrative practices, they were not legally exempt from the RTI Act the way Jammu and Kashmir was at that time.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to over generalise and assume that any State with special local traditions might be exempt, even when there is no specific constitutional provision like Article 370. Another pitfall is to forget that this question is about the historical arrangement before the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. For exam purposes, it is important to remember that Jammu and Kashmir was the only State with a separate RTI law and exemption from the Union RTI Act initially.

Final Answer:
Jammu and Kashmir