Tamil Nadu government cancels order keeping law and order department out of RTI scope

The Tamil Nadu government has withdrawn a controversial order that kept the Public (Law and Order) Department outside the rules of the Right to Information Act, 2005. The state government dropped the order on Sunday, September 27, 2026, following sharp pushback from political parties and civil society groups. The original order dated September 21, 2026, was released by the Human Resources Management Department through the Government Gazette using Section 24 (4) of the RTI Act. It treated the department as an intelligence and security organisation. Energy Resources and Law Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar confirmed the withdrawal in a post on X. Earlier on the same day in Madurai, the Minister had defended the order by pointing to the sensitivity of subjects like communal clashes. The Public (Law and Order) Department handles major issues including communal and caste clashes, inquiry reports on police firing and custodial deaths, student and farmer agitations, and detentions under the National Security Act and COFEPOSA. Political leaders and activists strongly opposed the move. AMMK founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran criticized the decision and asked Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay for an explanation. Environmental activist G. Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal also raised concerns about the timing of the order, pointing to a previous controversy over a law and order meeting led by Chief Secretary M. Sai Kumar. Arappor Iyakkam convener Jayaram Venkatesan condemned the government order as well, stating that the entire law and order wing could not be hidden from the RTI Act.