MADURAI: In a time when transparency in governance often seems out of reach, 73-year-old NG Mohan from Mannadimangalam village in Madurai district has quietly transformed how public accountability works in Tamil Nadu—armed solely with the RTI Act and a lifetime of conviction.
A retired conductor from the Pallavan Transport Corporation (now TNSTC), Mohan has filed over 1,200 RTI applications since 2007, unearthing scams, correcting official negligence, and pushing back against bureaucratic silence. Inspired by his father’s socialist leanings and early interactions with communist leaders, Mohan’s political awareness took root during his school years and matured into civic activism after retirement.
His journey into RTI began with guidance from TNSTC’s legal manager and was further deepened through mentorship by senior officials and activists. One of his most significant victories came in 2013–14, when he exposed fake degree certificates among engineers in the Madurai City Corporation, resulting in the demotion of 13 officials. He has since tackled issues ranging from illegal liquor shop locations to unsafe electric poles and delayed property rights for farmers.
But Mohan isn’t content with individual victories. He’s spent the last decade training over 1,200 youth to become “RTI warriors,” holding workshops in Madurai with the help of friends and social activists. “The fight for justice must be passed on,” he says, urging more young people to harness RTI as a tool for change.
NG Mohan’s quiet revolution proves that civic courage, when paired with information, can challenge even the strongest walls of silence.