card_membershipSubscribechrome_reader_modeEpaperhomeHomedescriptionIndiarate_reviewOpinionplaceWorldexploreMiddle Eastbusiness_centerBusinesslibrary_musicEntertainmentgroupLifestylememoryTechnologysports_soccerSportsperm_mediaMultimediaspaCulturelanguageMalayalam News
Posted On
date_range
Updated On
date_range

Tamil Nadu government revokes order exempting Law and Order Department from RTI

The decision attracted criticism after the order became public on Sunday morning.

The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday revoked its decision to exempt the Public (Law and Order) Department from the Right to Information (RTI) Act, hours after the order drew criticism from allies, opposition voices and transparency activists.

The Human Resources Management Department said Government Order No. 57, dated September 21, 2026, exempting the department under Section 24(4) of the RTI Act, had been revoked.

The original order had classified the Public (Law and Order) Department as an intelligence and security organisation established by the state government, bringing it under the exemption provided under Section 24 of the RTI Act.

The decision attracted criticism after the order became public on Sunday morning.

CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan criticised the move, while VCK president and MP Thol Thirumavalavan, whose party supports the government, called it “highly shocking” and urged its withdrawal.

Anti-corruption organisation Arappor Iyakkam also criticised the exemption, arguing that it was inappropriate to classify all information held by the department’s Law and Order wing as intelligence-related.

The department handles matters including police custody deaths, allegations of torture, police firing, communal and caste clashes, political agitations and preventive detention under the National Security Act and COFEPOSA. It also deals with representations by detainees, habeas corpus petitions and references from the National Human Rights Commission.

Its other responsibilities include law-and-order reports to the Union government, responses to parliamentary questions and proposals seeking sanction for prosecution over defamatory articles, reports and speeches.

Section 24 generally exempts notified intelligence and security organisations from the RTI Act, but does not exclude information concerning allegations of corruption or human-rights violations. Requests involving human-rights violations are subject to additional conditions under the law.

Tags: