Justice Prevails: Siva Elango Acquitted After 10-Year Legal Battle

Activist Siva Elango has been acquitted after a decade-long legal battle following his arrest for refusing to stand at an RTI hearing regarding J Jayalalithaa government's advertisement expenses. The Tamil Nadu Information Commission lodged a complaint against him, leading to his arrest in 2015.

Siva Elango, an activist with the Satta Panchayat Iyakkam, was finally acquitted after spending more than a decade entangled in legal proceedings. Initially jailed for refusing to stand during a hearing related to his RTI plea seeking information on the J Jayalalithaa government's advertisement expenses, Elango's case highlighted the complexities activists often face.

In 2012, Elango sought transparency regarding the AIADMK government's spending on advertising its one-year achievements across national dailies. When state authorities withheld the information, Elango pursued the matter to the Tamil Nadu Information Commission in 2015, where he was asked to stand during proceedings, which he declined based on RTI Act provisions.

This act led to a police complaint from the commission, accusing him of criminal intimidation and obstruction. Elango was arrested in January 2015 but fought the charges self-represented, facing 140 court adjournments before his acquittal by the Saidapet metropolitan magistrate court in October 2024, due to insufficient evidence against him.

(With inputs from agencies.)