The Tamil Nadu state government formally rescinded a controversial executive order that sought to exempt the Public (Law and Order) Department from the purview of the Right to Information Act. The administrative retreat followed intense public outcry from legal scholars, human rights defenders, and opposition lawmakers who characterized the blanket exclusion as an unconstitutional assault on institutional transparency.
The contentious notification had originally sought to shield sensitive internal police communications, operational deployment guidelines, and administrative transfer dossiers beneath the umbrella of national security exemptions. However, civil society collectives filed multiple public interest litigations before the Madras High Court, arguing that shielding law enforcement administration from statutory inquiries fosters unchecked bureaucratic opacity and abuses of police powers.
Legal advocates hailed the rollback as an emphatic triumph for democratic accountability and the preservation of citizen oversight mechanisms. Transparency watchdogs announced plans to closely monitor state administrative compliance to ensure that public information officers promptly resume processing pending requests concerning police conduct and custodial procedures.
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Sources:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/top-news-of-the-day-september-27-2026-tn-withdraws-rti-exemption-amid-backlash-2000-urge-cji-on-sireci/article71516040.ece