Tamil Nadu Rolls Back Law & Order Dept’s RTI Exemption After Opposition Criticism

The Tamil Nadu government has reinstated the Information and Public (Law and Order) Department after facing strong criticism from opposition parties. Initially, the Vijay-led TVK government had classified the department as an Intelligence and Security Organisation and exempted it from the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, by issuing an order under Section 24(4) of the law.

However, the decision was met with widespread backlash, resulting in the revocation of Government Order Ms. No. 57 of HRM (R) Department dated September 21. The revoked order exempted the department from the RTI Act's purview, allowing it to withhold information related to sensitive matters such as police firing, custodial deaths, and communal and caste clashes.

The government acknowledged the criticism, stating that the revoked order is no longer in effect. Opposition leaders, including CPM MP Venkatesan and Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, had previously criticized the decision, with Venkatesan calling it an attempt to transform Tamil Nadu into a "police state" and Chidambaram arguing that the move undermined democratic accountability.