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Politics
Tamil Nadu Exempts Law and Order Department from RTI Transparency
✍️ The Hindu
🗓 27 Sep 2026, 10:50 AM
👁 11
The state government issued an order removing the Public Law and Order Department from the Right to Information Act, covering topics such as communal clashes, NSA detentions and deaths in custody.
The Tamil Nadu government has issued an official order that exempts the Public Law and Order Department from the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The exemption applies to all matters handled by the department that pertain to law‑and‑order issues.
Under the order, information related to communal and caste clashes, detentions under the National Security Act, investigations into deaths that occur while in police custody, and records of student or farmer agitations are no longer subject to RTI disclosure. The move effectively places these sensitive subjects outside the ambit of public scrutiny through the RTI mechanism.
By restricting access to such data, the state argues that the exemption is intended to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations and maintain public order. Critics, however, contend that the decision reduces transparency and limits citizens' ability to hold law‑enforcement agencies accountable.
The order has been published in the official gazette and will take effect immediately, reshaping the scope of information that can be requested from the department.
Under the order, information related to communal and caste clashes, detentions under the National Security Act, investigations into deaths that occur while in police custody, and records of student or farmer agitations are no longer subject to RTI disclosure. The move effectively places these sensitive subjects outside the ambit of public scrutiny through the RTI mechanism.
By restricting access to such data, the state argues that the exemption is intended to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations and maintain public order. Critics, however, contend that the decision reduces transparency and limits citizens' ability to hold law‑enforcement agencies accountable.
The order has been published in the official gazette and will take effect immediately, reshaping the scope of information that can be requested from the department.