Tamil Nadu withdraws order on RTI:Govt demanded police action be excluded from law; 3 decisions revoked so far

On Sunday, the Tamil Nadu government withdrew the exemption from the RTI Act granted to the Public (Law and Order) Department. The decision was taken within hours of the order being issued. The government had ordered that records related to police action, human rights complaints and political demonstrations be kept outside the scope of the RTI Act. Allies and activists working for transparency protested against the decision. Opposition raises questions CPI(M) MP Su Venkatesan also questioned the decision. The original order described the Public (Law and Order) Department as an intelligence and security organisation established by the Tamil Nadu government. According to government sources, controversial orders are first made public. The government then decides whether to retain or withdraw them after assessing the political and public response. Arappor Iyakkam, Tamil Nadu’s prominent anti-corruption organisation, had described the original order as “shocking”. The organisation said the government had exempted the Law and Order Wing of the Public Department from the RTI Act. The organisation said, “It is absurd to classify every piece of information held by the Law and Order Wing of the Public Department as intelligence-related. The Tamil Nadu government must immediately withdraw this order.” Vijay removes astrologer as OSD within 24 hours Hours after winning the floor test in Tamil Nadu, Vijay removed astrologer Radhan Pandit as his Officer on Special Duty (OSD). Vijay had appointed Radhan just 24 hours earlier, but withdrew the decision after opposition from rival parties and allies. Radhan is considered a close aide of Vijay. He had predicted that Vijay would become Chief Minister and reportedly advised him on the timing of his 10 May swearing-in ceremony. Radhan is an astrologer and has also served as a TVK spokesperson. ​