Tamil Nadu Government Withdraws RTI Exemption for Public (Law and Order) Department

The Tamil Nadu government has issued an order exempting the Public (Law and Order) Department from the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, on the ground that it is an Intelligence and Security Organisation.

A Government Order to this effect was issued by the Human Resources Management Department and notified in the Government Gazette. The order dated September 21, 2026 was issued under Section 24(4) of the RTI Act, 2005.

The Public (Law and Order) Department deals with subjects such as communal and caste clashes; the appointment of Commissions of Inquiry on law and order-related matters and follow-up action on their recommendations; all matters relating to COFEPOSA and NSA detentions, including representations by detenus and habeas corpus petitions filed by detenus or on their behalf in the High Court and Supreme Court; and the conduct of monthly law and order review meetings and special law and order meetings as per the instructions of the Chief Secretary.

It also includes examining inquiry reports into the opening of fire by the police and inquiry reports into deaths in police custody, police torture and deaths of remand prisoners; NHRC references relating to matters dealt with by the Law and Order wing; furnishing monthly reports on law and order and communal incidents to the Government of India; furnishing replies to Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha questions relating to law and order matters; dealing with agitations by students, agricultural labourers and political parties; requests for withdrawal of cases registered on political grounds, communal/caste clashes, political agitations and student agitations; and matters relating to sanction of prosecution for defamatory articles, news items, and speeches.

AMMK founder T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Sunday (September 27) opposed this decision of the Tamil Nadu government. He criticised the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam-led government of having assured transparency in governance only to decide later to exempt sensitive subjects pertaining to the law and order from the ambit of the RTI Act.

Seeking an explanation in this regard from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, Mr. Dhinakaran called for revoking the decision exempting subjects pertaining to the law and order, from the ambit of the RTI Act.