Tamil Nadu Withdraws RTI Exemption for Law and Order Department

Tamil Nadu’s government on September 27 withdrew an order exempting its Public Law and Order Department from the Right to Information Act, reversing a decision issued six days earlier after it drew criticism from political allies and transparency advocates. The withdrawal means the department remains subject to the law, according to the reports. The Human Resources Management Department’s September 21 notification had classified the Public Law and Order Department as an intelligence and security organisation under Section 24 of the RTI Act. The government’s withdrawal order said the exemption stood revoked. The supplied reports do not establish precisely which records the earlier notification would have covered in practice. The department handles matters involving police inquiries, preventive detention, communal and caste clashes, and political agitations. Its responsibilities also include records concerning custodial deaths, allegations of police torture and police firing. Those functions made the proposed exemption a focus of concern over public access to information about policing and the exercise of state authority.