# Tamil Nadu Government Scraps RTI Notification Within Hours Following Ally Backlash

> The Tamil Nadu government led by Chief Minister Vijay has rolled back its notification that sought to keep the public law and order department outside the purview of the RTI Act. The decision was reversed within hours following strong criticism from alliance partner Congress and opposition parties.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Politics · **Published:** 2026-09-27 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/politics/tamil-nadu-men-vijaya-sarakara-ko-karana-para-yutarna-rti-ke-dayare-se-juri-adhisuchana-kuchha-hi-ghnton-men-li-vapasa-39559 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Tamil Nadu Politics, CM Vijay, RTI Act, Karti Chidambaram, TVK Party, Political U-turn

The Tamil Nadu administration under Chief Minister Vijay has made a swift about-turn by revoking a controversial notification issued earlier today. The order had initially removed the public law and order department from the purview of the Right to Information Act. However, within hours of its release, the administration was forced to withdraw the directive following widespread pushback. The original order had placed the law and order wing under the category of intelligence and security organisations, which effectively meant crucial records regarding communal incidents, political agitations, custodial deaths, and other public order matters would have been shielded from public scrutiny through RTI applications. The rapid withdrawal came on the heels of severe censure from political quarters.

## Congress Leader Karti Chidambaram Criticizes the Move

Karti P. Chidambaram, a prominent leader of the Congress party which forms part of the Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance led by the ruling TVK, openly censured the administration's initial step. He pointed out that such a measure does not set a healthy precedent in a democratic framework. Furthermore, he reminded observers that the UPA government originally enacted the RTI legislation specifically to reinforce transparency and public accountability in governance. His vocal opposition highlighted internal friction within the political alignment over administrative transparency.

> 

## Concerns Raised Over Shielding Sensitive Law and Order Records

Elaborating on his objections, Karti P. Chidambaram noted that the law and order division handles numerous critical matters, including police firings, custodial deaths, instances of torture, and investigation reports concerning prisoners who die while in judicial remand. He added that preventive detention files, communal and caste clash records, petitions seeking the withdrawal of politically sensitive cases, and sanction files for prosecuting defamatory articles, news reports, and speeches also fall under this department. He argued that keeping such vital information hidden from citizens runs directly counter to open governance principles, asserting that the scope of the RTI framework must be expanded rather than restricted.

## Welcoming the Rapid Reversal of the Order

Despite his initial sharp critique, Karti P. Chidambaram subsequently welcomed the swift withdrawal of the notification by the administration. Taking to X, he offered an unsolicited and friendly piece of advice to the TVK administration and the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, urging them not to let bureaucrats dictate the administrative style, tone, and direction of governance. The rapid backtrack averted a major political fallout with key coalition partners.

## BJP Joins Opposition Against the Restriction

The administration faced flak from opposition ranks as well, with BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan strongly condemning the initial order. She remarked that officials appeared fearful of meeting the press, engaging with citizens, and facing legal scrutiny, questioning why an administration would shy away from RTI if its conduct was entirely fair. She termed the approach deeply undemocratic and called for its unequivocal condemnation. The RTI Act of 2005 remains a landmark legislation enacted by Parliament to guarantee ordinary citizens access to public records. Notably, this development follows other recent policy announcements by the administration, including a scheme to provide a one-gram gold ring for newborns in government hospitals, as well as the Chief Minister's recent political gestures such as praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday.

## What this means for you
The reversal of the RTI notification by the Tamil Nadu administration carries direct implications for transparency and citizens' right to information in the state.

- **Across India:** Citizens across the country rely on the RTI framework as a primary legal tool to ensure accountability and transparency in public administration. Maintaining broad access preserves democratic oversight on government departments.

- **In Tamil Nadu:** Local residents and activists retain the ability to file RTI queries regarding crucial law and order matters such as custodial inquiries and departmental records. The quick rollback ensures that critical public information remains accessible rather than shielded behind security exemptions.

## Why this happened
The Tamil Nadu administration was forced to reverse its notification within hours due to intense political fallout and immediate opposition from key quarters.

- **Alliance Backlash:** Senior figures from alliance partner Congress, including Karti P. Chidambaram, openly criticized the move as detrimental to democratic accountability.

- **Political Pressure:** Opposition groups such as the BJP slammed the directive as undemocratic, accusing the administration of attempting to evade public scrutiny.

- **Transparency Concerns:** Shielding critical law and order records triggered widespread apprehension regarding the erosion of open governance and citizen rights.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Which notification did the Tamil Nadu government revoke?
The administration withdrew the notification that sought to exclude the public law and order department from the RTI Act.

### 2. Who criticized the initial government order?
Congress leader Karti P. Chidambaram and BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan strongly criticized the directive.

### 3. Under which category was the law and order department placed in the original order?
The original order placed the department under the category of intelligence and security organisations.

### 4. When was the RTI Act enacted?
The RTI Act was enacted by Parliament in 2005 to grant citizens access to public records.

---
_TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.. Machine-readable view; canonical HTML at the URL above._