CHENNAI
In a dramatic policy reversal, the Tamil Nadu government officially revoked a controversial gazette notification that had exempted the Public (Law and Order) Department from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, bowing to intense public backlash and sharp political criticism just hours after the order was initially issued. The initial administrative move had sought to classify the sensitive department under the category of an "Intelligence and Security Organisation," which would have effectively shielded critical governance records from public scrutiny. Had the exemption stood, citizens, journalists, and transparency advocates would have been barred from filing RTI applications regarding highly scrutinized matters, including police custody deaths, custodial torture inquiries, communal and caste clash investigation reports, political agitations, and decisions concerning the withdrawal of sensitive legal cases. The initial notification triggered immediate, widespread condemnation across the political spectrum, uniting both opposition figures and allied leaders in rare alignment against the bureaucratic maneuver. Congress leader Karti P. Chidambaram—whose party belongs to the ruling Secular Social Justice Victory alliance led by the TVK—publicly denounced the decision as a dangerous precedent that directly undermined the foundational tenets of democratic accountability established by the UPA government in 2005. "The Law and Order Department handles crucial matters such as examining inquiry reports on police firing, custodial deaths, torture, and security-related detention cases," Chidambaram posted on social media. Warning that such actions erode public trust, he advised the Chief Minister's Office to guard against bureaucratic overreach. Prominent opposition figures similarly piled pressure on the administration. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tamilisai Soundararajan slammed the move as flagrantly undemocratic. Challenging the government's transparency, she questioned why an administration confident in its governance would seek refuge from public records laws and legal oversight.
