Now Reading: Tamil Nadu exempts law and order dept from RTI Act
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Tamil Nadu exempts law and order dept from RTI Act
Corrected 1 October 2026: source attribution.
Corrected 1 October 2026: source list.
Corrected 1 October 2026: source list (an India Today video page removed; it is not an article), and the analysis brought up to date with the withdrawal of the order.
The Story in Brief
The Tamil Nadu government has exempted the Public (Law and Order) Department from the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, classifying it as an Intelligence and Security Organisation. The order, issued under Section 24(4) of the RTI Act, was notified in the government gazette and approved by the Governor, The Hindu reports.
The department handles communal and caste clashes, police custodial deaths, police torture, remand prisoner deaths, preventive detentions under NSA and COFEPOSA, and political agitations. The News Minute notes the move comes amid a series of custodial deaths in the state and quotes CPI(M) leader Su Venkatesan calling it an "overt attempt to turn Tamil Nadu into a police state."
Section 24 of the RTI Act does not provide blanket exemption. The Times of India notes that even exempted organisations must still provide information on allegations of corruption and human rights violations.
Update, 1 October 2026: The Hindu reports that the Tamil Nadu government withdrew the order on 27 September after criticism from political parties, activists and civil society groups. Minister for Energy Resources and Law C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar said in a post on X that the Government Order had been withdrawn. Earlier that day, speaking to reporters in Madurai, he had defended it.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Hindu and Times of India report the exemption as a legal notification, emphasising the statutory limits under Section 24. The News Minute leads with the context of custodial deaths and carries sharp criticism from CPI(M) and Arappor Iyakkam, framing the decision as a transparency rollback. The critical framing highlights timing and promised transparency, while neutral reports omit that context. The balanced reading: the legal scope of the exemption is narrow, but its application to a department handling police accountability records invites scrutiny. The Hindu later reported that the government withdrew the order on 27 September, after the criticism.
The News Minute notes CM Vijay had previously joined protests against custodial deaths under the previous government.
Corrected 1 October 2026: source attribution.
Corrected 1 October 2026: source list.
Corrected 1 October 2026: source list (an India Today video page removed; it is not an article), and the analysis brought up to date with the withdrawal of the order.
Coverage: 3 sources, 1 government-critical, 2 neutral
Sources (3): thehindu.com (neutral report), thenewsminute.com (government critical), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
