Tamil Nadu Government Cancels Order Exempting Law and Order Department from RTI Act

The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday revoked its order exempting the Public (Law and Order) Department from the Right to Information Act. Hours earlier, the decision to shield the department had triggered sharp criticism from transparency activists and political allies alike. The Human Resources Management Department had issued Government Order Number 57 on September 21, 2026, invoking Section 24(4) of the RTI Act to classify the wing as an intelligence and security organisation. The reversal comes as part of a pattern of policy decisions under the TVK government where contentious orders are introduced and then withdrawn after gauging public and political reactions. The original exemption drew immediate opposition from parties supporting the administration, including CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan and VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, who called the move shocking and warned it would suppress human rights. Prominent anti-corruption movement Arappor Iyakkam also condemned the order, while a retired state Director General of Police stated that the move contradicted Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's anti-corruption platform. The Law and Order Department handles sensitive matters that go far beyond classified security operations. Its files cover police conduct, custodial deaths, allegations of torture, communal and caste clashes, and political protests. The wing also manages preventive detention cases under laws like the National Security Act and the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, alongside processing sanction proposals for prosecution over allegedly defamatory articles and speeches. Under Section 24 of the RTI Act, while state governments can exempt security bodies, the law explicitly states that information concerning human-rights violations and corruption cannot be excluded.