Tamil Nadu government has dropped the controversial exemption that had shielded its Public (Law and Order) Department from the Right to Information Act. The order, published as Government Order Ms.No 57 on 21 September 2026, had cited the department as an intelligence and security organisation and exempted it from RTI under sub‑section (4) of section 24.
Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar said the revocation was prompted by widespread public criticism that the move turned Tamil Nadu into a police state. He added that if citizens remained uneasy, the issue would be escalated to the Chief Minister for further action.
Opposition voices have been loud. CPM MP Venkatesan called the exemption a dangerous precedent, while Congress MP Karti Chidambaram reminded voters that RTI was a landmark UPA‑era decision to strengthen democratic accountability.
The Law and Order Department handles 20 sections, including inquiry reports into police firing, custodial deaths, torture, and communal clashes. Only a handful of these sections were exempted under the prior order. With the revocation, all 20 sections will again be subject to RTI requests, allowing journalists and citizens to access the same reports that were previously hidden.
The Ministry of Information Development will oversee the reimplementation of RTI procedures in the department, ensuring that public agencies comply with the Act’s disclosure requirements. The next step is the formal re‑introduction of the department’s RTI‑compliant policy, which is expected to be finalized by the end of this month.