Madras HC: TANFED a nodal agency of TN, falls under purview of RTI

Chennai: Madras high court has clarified Tamil Nadu Co-operative Marketing Federation Limited (TANFED) falls under the purview of the RTI Act as it functions as the implementing agency of TN govt's policies. The court added that TANFED cannot be compared to primary cooperative societies, which are not public authorities."The policy note issued by the state govt's ministry of cooperation, food and consumer protection for 2024-2025 discloses that TANFED has been appointed by TN govt as nodal agent with respect to activities carried out by National Agricultural Co-operative Marketing Federation (NAFED)," said Justice V Lakshminarayanan. In that capacity, it undertakes price support scheme (PSS) to protect farmers. The court passed the order while allowing a plea moved by P Jothibasu, challenging the order of State Information Commission (SIC) refusing to provide information sought by him under the RTI Act pertaining to the details of the varieties of fertilisers procured by TANFED. The petitioner's application was rejected on the ground that cooperative societies do not come under the purview of the RTI Act. Aggrieved, the petitioner moved the high court. Allowing the petition, the court quashed the order of the SIC and said, "In addition, I should point out the information that was sought by the petitioner does not fall under any of the exemptions provided under Section 8 of the RTI Act."
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