The Tamil Nadu government on Sunday revoked its order exempting the state's Public (Law and Order) Department from the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. The revocation order said Government Order Ms No. 57, dated September 21, stands revoked, PTI reported.

The September 21 order had classified the department as an Intelligence and Security Organisation under Section 24(4) of the RTI Act, which would have blocked public access to its records. Those records cover sensitive matters including police firing inquiries, custodial deaths, allegations of police torture, communal and caste clashes and requests to withdraw politically sensitive cases.

The move had triggered a political storm. VCK chief Thol Thirumavalavan called the notification highly shocking and demanded its withdrawal, while Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said it set a bad precedent and that the RTI Act should be expanded, not restricted. Both parties are allies of the ruling TVK, whose chief minister is C. Joseph Vijay. Chidambaram later welcomed the revocation.

The swift U-turn shows how quickly transparency rollbacks can backfire politically, with the government dropping the exemption within six days of issuing it.