Thiruvananthapuram: The government has exempted the T1 and T2 sections of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. The decision was notified through the Kerala Gazette on Thursday.

The government invoked Section 24(4) of the RTI Act, which allows state governments to exempt specified intelligence and security organisations from the Act, subject to the conditions laid down in the provision. The T1 and T2 sections have been added to the list of state intelligence and security organisations exempted under a government order issued on February 7, 2006. The earlier notification had exempted eight organisations from the Act.

The T1 and T2 sections handle activities of a highly confidential nature.

The T1 section maintains the annual confidential reports (ACRs) of ministerial, executive and legal staff. It also maintains highly secure personal files and top-secret documents and handles confidential verifications and high-level, sensitive vigilance investigations.

The T2 section processes the weekly diaries of vigilance officers, collects and analyses intelligenc inputs, including crucial source reports, manages public complaints received through secure, dedicated telephone hotlines, and coordinates surprise inspections.

The T section had been brought back under the purview of the RTI Act in 2022. The notification was issued by order of the Governor and signed by Principal Secretary Dr B Ashok.

The exemption remains subject to the provisos to Section 24(4), which provide exceptions concerning allegations of corruption and human rights violations.

The timing of the gazette notification is noteworthy, as it comes after a vigilance report concerning Chief Minister VD Satheesan was made public through RTI records.