The TVK government led by Chief Minister Vijay in Tamil Nadu has taken a sensational decision. It has exempted the most crucial public (law and order) department in the state from the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act-2005. An official gazette notification has been issued categorizing this department as an "Intelligence and Security Organization". With the latest decision of the government, there are serious concerns about transparency and accountability in the state.

Going into details, the Tamil Nadu government issued a gazette notification named GO Ms.No.57 on September 21, 2026 through the Human Resource Management Department. It states that this exemption has been given using the powers vested in the state government under Section 24(4) of the RTI Act. According to this section, states have the flexibility to exempt intelligence and security organizations under their jurisdiction from the RTI Act. Now, using the same provision, the main department that monitors law and order has been included in this list.

Due to this decision... the public will no longer have the opportunity to obtain official information related to communal clashes, political unrest, police firing, custodial deaths and protests in the state through RTI. It will not be possible to question or seek information on any decision taken by the government regarding the maintenance of law and order.

Generally, the law and order department is an integral part of government administration. Categorizing it as an intelligence agency and excluding it from RTI is an unthinkable development. With this move, citizens, social activists and journalists will lose their right to know crucial information. Analysts are of the opinion that this will damage transparency in government activities and open the door to abuse of power. Overall, this decision has led to a heated debate in Tamil Nadu.