The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday, November 10, directed the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register a First Information Report (FIR) forthwith in connection with the alleged fraudulent procurement of books for public libraries across the state, Bar and Bench reported. A Division Bench of Justice G.R. Swaminathan and Justice M.D. Sumathi also ordered the immediate freezing of the bank accounts of Agal Vilakku Publication, its proprietor Mohan and others involved, directed the removal of fake and allegedly AI-generated books from libraries, and asked the State government to initiate disciplinary action, including suspension, against the officials responsible. The Bench observed that despite allegations of a large-scale scam involving public money, the authorities had not registered an FIR.

Source: Bar and Bench

At the follow-up hearing on Wednesday, November 11, the State Public Prosecutor, John Sathyan, told the court that the DVAC will register an FIR in the alleged book procurement scam and that no one will be spared, LiveLaw reported. He submitted that a structured FIR would be registered within four days, that the School Education Department had written to the DVAC on November 6 asking for a detailed enquiry, and that, following the court's directions, the bank had been instructed to freeze three bank accounts. The court adjourned the hearing to Monday, November 17.

Source: LiveLaw

Also on November 11, the Bench expressed disappointment that the State had not named even one person involved so far, describing the failure as, in its words, a confession of inefficiency, according to a LawChakra report of the hearing. The Director of Public Libraries told the court that 1,700 titles were procured from Agal Vilakku Publications for the Periyar Arivulagam library in Coimbatore at a cost of Rs 17 lakh, and that a book is selected only after recommendations pass through four committees. The court directed the Director to file a detailed response on affidavit by Monday.

Source: LawChakra

The orders were passed in a contempt petition filed by Ramasubbu alleging non-compliance with the High Court's June 19, 2024 directions on transparency in library book procurement, LawBeat reported. The controversy surfaced after writer Perumal Murugan raised concerns on social media about books procured for Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore; the court also referred to a book titled 'Democracy and People's Right in the Contemporary World', found at the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai and denounced by economist Jean Dreze as falsely attributed to him. The State government has acknowledged serious irregularities in the procurement system, the then Director of Public Libraries was relieved of her charge on November 8, existing book procurement orders were cancelled, and the DVAC had begun a detailed enquiry before the court's FIR direction.

Source: LawBeat

All of the allegations in the case remain under investigation. No one has been charged, the court has made no finding of liability against any individual, and every person named in the proceedings is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. What happens next turns on the FIR the DVAC registers, the affidavit the Director of Public Libraries files by Monday, and the further hearing listed for November 17.

How the row began: Periyar Arivulagam books row — the November 6 report