Telangana High Court: Unpublished Government Orders Plea Challenges 1.16 Lakh GOs

• A plea has been filed in the Telangana High Court alleging over 1.16 lakh government orders (GOs) are not publicly accessible.
• The State government admitted in March 2025 that 1,16,458 out of 1,99,115 GOs issued since June 2014 were not public.
• An RTI response further showed that only 3,290 of 19,064 GOs issued between December 2023 and January 2025 were publicly available.
• The petition claims departments classify GOs as 'internal' and withhold them without reasoned orders, citing RTI Act Sections 8 or 9.
• The plea argues that unpublished GOs cannot be known, obeyed, questioned, or relied upon by citizens.

A Government Order which is kept out of the public domain cannot be known, obeyed, questioned or relied upon by the citizen.

A significant legal challenge has been brought before the Telangana High Court concerning the state government's alleged failure to publicly disclose a substantial number of its official directives. The petition, filed by B Vinay Reddy against the State of Telangana and others, asserts that over 1.16 lakh Government Orders (GOs) issued since June 2014 remain inaccessible to the public, despite previous judicial mandates for their online publication. This legal action, known as B Vinay Reddy v The State of Telangana & Ors., seeks to compel greater transparency from the state administration.

The petitioner highlights data presented by the state government itself to the Telangana Legislative Assembly in March 2025. According to this information, a total of 1,99,115 GOs were issued between June 2, 2014, and March 14, 2025. However, only 82,657 of these were made available in the public domain. This discrepancy means that 1,16,458 GOs, representing approximately 58.5 percent of all orders issued during that period, are not publicly accessible. Further evidence of this lack of transparency emerged from an RTI application response dated November 18, 2025, which revealed that out of 19,064 GOs issued between December 7, 2023, and January 26, 2025, only 3,290 were publicly available.

The plea before Justice Surepalli Nanda specifically challenges the methods employed by state government departments to manage these official directives. It alleges that GOs are categorized as either 'public' or 'internal' within the Government Order Issue Register (GOIR) portal. Crucially, the petition contends that departments are withholding these orders without providing proper reasoned justifications, instead vaguely citing Sections 8 or 9 of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Sections 8 and 9 of the RTI Act outline specific grounds under which information can be legitimately withheld from public disclosure. However, the petition argues that the state's practice of classifying and then withholding a vast number of GOs without explicit, reasoned orders constitutes an improper application of these provisions. This approach, the petitioner claims, effectively circumvents the spirit of transparency intended by the RTI Act and previous court directives aimed at ensuring public access to government decisions.

The core argument presented in the plea emphasizes the fundamental principle that government orders, by their very nature, should be public knowledge. The petition articulates that "A Government Order which is kept out of the public domain cannot be known, obeyed, questioned or relied upon by the citizen." This statement underscores the critical role of public access to GOs for citizens to understand, comply with, and potentially challenge governmental actions that directly impact their rights and daily lives.

The continued inaccessibility of such a significant volume of Telangana government orders raises serious concerns about public accountability and good governance. When nearly 60 percent of official directives remain hidden, it creates an environment where citizens are unable to fully engage with or hold their government accountable for its decisions. This lack of transparency can impede legal research, compliance efforts, and the ability of individuals and organizations to make informed decisions based on the complete regulatory landscape.

Lawyers and compliance officers in Telangana should be aware that a significant number of government orders (GOs) are not publicly accessible, potentially impacting legal research, compliance advice, and the ability to challenge government decisions. They should monitor the outcome of this High Court plea, as a favorable ruling could lead to increased transparency and access to critical regulatory information, requiring a review of past advice or compliance strategies based on incomplete public records.

Source: Original reporting via legal news outlet.