Vijay Government Withdraws Law And Order Department RTI Exemption After Backlash
· India · Indian Express, India Today, Hindustan Times
The C Joseph Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government on Sunday revoked an order that exempted the Public (Law and Order) Department from the Right to Information Act of 2005. The original notification, issued under GO Ms.No.57 by the Human Resources Management Department on September 21, 2026, had classified the department as an intelligence and security organisation. The reversal followed swift criticism from political allies, including CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan, and transparency activists over public access to records on police action and human rights. This decision adds to a pattern of policy reversals by the relatively new TVK government, which has made anti-corruption and public accountability central to its platform. The sensitive nature of the exempted records covered custodial deaths, torture allegations, caste and communal violence, political protests, and preventive detention.
Why it matters
The reversal restores public access to sensitive records on police conduct and human rights in Tamil Nadu, holding the administration accountable to its transparency commitments.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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