Tamil Nadu govt revokes controversial order exempting Law and Order dept from RTI Act

Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay. FILE PIC

The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday revoked a controversial order that exempted the state's Public (Law and Order) Department from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, following intense backlash from political allies of the ruling TVK and transparency advocates.

The administration officially withdrew the GO of the Human Resources Management (R) Department, dated September 21. The now-retracted order had originally invoked Section 24(4) of the transparency law to classify the department as an "Intelligence and Security Organisation," thereby shielding it from public disclosures.

The move comes after the initial move by the TVK-led administration triggered a political storm, drawing criticism from alliance partners - the Congress and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). Prior to the revocation, VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan had termed the gazette notification "highly shocking."

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