In a significant ruling aimed at bolstering transparency, the Telangana High Court has issued a firm directive to the state government, ordering it to publish all government orders and circulars on its official website.
Court Acts on Petition, Reveals Staggering Number of Unpublished Orders
The directive was issued by Justice Surepalli Nanda on Tuesday while hearing a petition filed by BRS leader and former chairman of the Telangana SC/ST Commission, Errolla Srinivas. The petitioner had sought the court's intervention to compel the state's chief secretary and the information commissioner to ensure the upload of all Government Orders (GOs), notifications, rules, and circulars to official web portals.
During the proceedings, the petitioner's counsel, R Chandrashekar Reddy, presented startling data obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The information revealed that between December 7, 2023, and January 26, 2025, various state departments issued a total of 19,064 Government Orders. Shockingly, only 3,290 of these GOs were available in the public domain, leaving a massive 15,774 orders unpublished and inaccessible to citizens.
Deliberate Withholding of Information Alleged
Counsel Reddy argued that the failure of government departments to upload these crucial documents was not an oversight but a deliberate act. This practice, he contended, directly deprives the public of their right to information and severely weakens the pillars of transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption measures in governance.
The counsel also reminded the court of a previous judicial order. He placed before Justice Nanda a March 2022 order from a Telangana High Court division bench, which had already directed the state government to upload and regularly update all GOs, circulars, rules, and notifications online. That order had also instructed the government to designate a senior officer to oversee this continuous process.
Court Directs Strict Adherence to 2017 Guidelines
After recording these submissions, Justice Surepalli Nanda directed the state government to strictly comply with its own existing guidelines. The court specifically referenced the guidelines issued by the government in April 2017 concerning the publication of official orders and circulars. This directive underscores the court's insistence that the executive branch must follow its own rules meant to ensure open governance.
The High Court's order is seen as a major victory for transparency advocates and a critical step towards empowering citizens. By ensuring all government orders are publicly accessible, the court aims to foster a system where government actions are open to scrutiny, thereby promoting greater accountability and reducing opportunities for opaque decision-making.
