‘Transparency not optional in a democracy’: Telangana HC slams state after over 15,000 GOs remain unpublished

Hyderabad: Expressing serious concern over the government’s failure to maintain public records, the Telangana High Court on Tuesday ordered the immediate uploading of all Government Orders (GOs), circulars and rules to its official website.

‘People have an unquestionable right to access government decisions’

In a stern directive to the State Government, the court stressed on the importance of transparency and the right to information of the citizens from the government.

He made it clear that citizens have an unquestionable right to access government decisions and policies that affect public life.

The court enforces existing government guidelines

Justice Surepalli Nanda, presiding over a single bench, directed officials to strictly adhere to the guidelines laid out in GO 4 (dated April 10, 2017) which mandates comprehensive online publication of all official documents for public access.

Justice Nanda noted that the guidelines were framed specifically to promote transparency and ease of access for citizens, but were being routinely ignored.

Petition by former SC/ST commission chairman

The ruling came during the hearing of a writ petition filed by Errolla Srinivas, former Chairman of the Telangana SC/ST Commission.

During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel, R Chandrashekar Reddy, presented alarming data obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

15,774 missing orders

The statistics revealed a massive gap between government action and public disclosure:

Total orders issued: 19,064 (between Dec 7, 2023, and Jan 26, 2025).

Orders Made Public: 3,290.

Missing Orders: 15,774.

The counsel argued that departments were ‘intentionally and deliberately’ withholding these documents, effectively depriving citizens of their right to know and creating an environment ripe for corruption.

Earlier court orders on transparency ignored

The court was reminded that this is not the first time the state has been pulled up for this issue. In March 2022, a Division Bench had already ordered the government to:

- Regularly update all GOs, circulars and notifications online.

- Appoint a senior officer specifically responsible for ensuring timely uploads.

Despite these clear instructions, the petitioner argued that the government had failed to implement the directives, leading to the current ‘information blackout.’

‘Transparency in governance is not a choice but fundamental to democracy’

Justice Nanda emphasised that transparency in governance is not a choice but a fundamental requirement of democracy. By failing to upload these documents, the state is undermining accountability.

The High Court has now ordered the government to:

- Immediately implement the 2022 Division Bench orders.

- Strictly follow the 2017 guidelines formulated based on the Government of India directions.

This judgment reinforces the principle that citizens have an inalienable right to access information regarding the functioning of their government, ensuring that the ‘missing’ 15,774 orders must finally see the light of day.