Mains issueGS-2Editorials29 September 2026

Transparency and Accountability in Governance: Challenges to the Right to Information Act

An aspirant should be able to critically analyze the importance of the RTI Act for good governance, identify the various challenges to its effective implementation, and suggest measures to strengthen transparency and the functioning of Information Commissions, while also acknowledging the need to balance transparency with other legitimate concerns.

Source: thehindu.comOriginal report

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Why now

The recent attempt by the Tamil Nadu government to exempt a department from the RTI Act, though withdrawn, highlights persistent challenges to transparency and the effective functioning of Information Commissions, making it a relevant issue for examining governance principles.

Core issue

The Tamil Nadu government's attempt to exempt its Public (Law and Order) Department from the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, using Section 24(4), was met with protests and subsequently withdrawn. This incident highlighted the persistent executive tendency to maintain secrecy, despite existing exemptions in Section 8 of the RTI Act and the statutory requirement under Section 24(5) to place such orders before the legislature. The article also points to broader challenges to transparency, including concerns about the Digital Personal Data Protection Act diluting RTI, and the poor functioning of the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission (TNSIC), which suffers from a significant backlog of over 41,000 appeals and complaints and operates with only half its sanctioned Information Commissioners and no Chief Information Commissioner.

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