Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 23 — BJP national secretary K. Surendran on Friday accused the V.D. Satheesan government of attempting to shield political leaders and officials facing corruption allegations by exempting key sections (T Sections) of the Vigilance Department from the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, however, defended the decision, saying the T sections had been exempted because Vigilance investigations were confidential in nature.
Confidentiality was essential for the investigations and functioning of the department, he said.
Chennithala said the previous government had brought the T sections under the RTI Act, although these sections did not, in fact, fall within its purview.
Surendran described the latest notification exempting the T1 and T2 sections from the transparency law as undemocratic and an attempt to promote corruption.
These sections handle confidential files relating to corruption cases against the Chief Minister, ministers, political leaders and senior officials.
Questioning the timing of the decision, the BJP leader asked whether it was intended to undermine the Vigilance investigation against former Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Pinarayi Vijayan, who is now the Leader of the Opposition.
He also alleged that the government had reasons to protect certain ministers in the present UDF administration and secure relief for those facing scrutiny.
Surendran expressed concern over the decision to give the Vigilance Director full authority to determine which files should be placed under the T sections.
Such discretionary powers could be misused to keep cases that the political leadership wanted to conceal away from public scrutiny, he warned.
The BJP leader said the move was not without precedent.
In 2016, a similar attempt to exempt the T sections from the RTI Act had prompted the Kerala High Court to intervene and stay the government order, he said.
Accusing the present government of repeating the earlier mistake, Surendran said both the UDF and the LDF had attempted to keep the Vigilance Department outside the transparency law.
He said the Oommen Chandy-led UDF government had attempted such an exemption in 2016, while the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government had made a similar move in 2025.
According to Surendran, the two political fronts had repeatedly demonstrated that they were alike when it came to protecting those facing corruption allegations and keeping sensitive cases out of public view.
The latest notification, he alleged, would weaken transparency in the handling of corruption complaints against those in positions of power.