CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has declined to provide details under the Right to Information (RTI) Act on the restructuring of its Fact Check Unit (FCU) as the Information Integrity Desk (IID). The RTI applicant, Jeevitha, had sought the exact government order (G.O.) or administrative approval authorising the renaming or restructuring of the FCU as the IID.
The FCU was first formed in 2023 through a G.O. issued by the Tamil Development and Information Department on October 6, 2023, under the then DMK government. The order sanctioned 80 posts for implementing the FCUs across the state, with a one-time non-recurring expenditure of `1.4 crore and a recurring annual expenditure of `3.5 crore.
Jeevitha sought details of the unit’s functions and responsibilities, designation-wise sanctioned strength and salaries, number of personnel currently working, vacancies, and the IAS and IPS officers exercising authority over the unit, along with the orders assigning them their responsibilities.
In its reply dated September 24, 2026, the Tamil Development and Information Department cited Section 7(9) of the RTI Act, 2005, stating that there was no provision under the Act to provide the information in the manner sought by the applicant.
Jeevitha, who is also a civil service aspirant, told TNIE she had been following independent fact-checking platforms since her college days and became interested in the FCU when it was established.
“I wanted to know on what basis people are recruited for the team. Later, reports emerged that the unit’s name had been changed. I wanted to know who had been appointed to the restructured unit and on what basis. That was why I sought the G.O.,” she said.
Jeevitha said she was unable to locate key G.O.s, raising questions about the accessibility of information concerning the unit’s functioning. “The government talks about transparent governance, but where is the transparency if the documents that establish how the unit functions are not accessible?” she asked.
She said her application was intended to establish the administrative basis of the government’s fact-checking mechanism and ascertain who was responsible for its functioning. “As a civil service aspirant, I believe a fact-checker should verify information and provide evidence,” she added.
Although there was no official announcement, according to sources, TVK government renamed it as the IID and put the TVK’s social media head, Guru alias Guru Thalaiva – the founder of Online Thalapathy Fans Club – in charge, in July.