The Tamil Nadu government has withdrawn its September 21 order that had brought the Public (Law and Order) Department under the exemption provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.

The government said Government Order Ms. No. 57, issued under Section 24(4) of the RTI Act, has been revoked following criticism of the move. The original order would have restricted access to information concerning matters handled by the department, including certain communal and caste clashes, NSA detentions, police firing inquiries, custodial deaths and allegations of police torture.

The government had initially defended the exemption, with ministers saying it was intended to cover only specific categories of sensitive information. Following the criticism, the government indicated that it would reconsider the decision before ultimately withdrawing the order.