Library book ‘scam’: ₹22 lakh belonging to publisher frozen

The court mandated the production of all the relevant records with regard to the procurement.

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday informed the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court that a structured FIR would be registered in connection with the suspected irregularities in the purchase of books for public libraries and the same would be placed before the court. Besides, it said, pursuant to the court direction on Tuesday, three bank accounts of the controversial publisher Agal Vilakku, had been frozen. The bank accounts contained a sum of ₹22 lakh.

The court, recording the undertaking given by the Director of Public Libraries and the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) that all the relevant details would be placed before the court in the suspected ‘scam’, mandated the production of all the relevant records with regard to the procurement.

Hearing the contempt petition filed in this regard, a Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and M.D. Sumathi said, “One member of the Expert Committee on coming to know that we are seized of the matter reached out to us and informed us that the Prime Minister’s Mann Ki Baat which was translated in Tamil as ‘Manathin Kural’ was recommended but rejected and did not make it to the book shelves of the public libraries of Tamil Nadu”.

“We wanted to confirm the veracity of this information. When we confronted the Director of Public Libraries, there was only silence”, the court noted.

State Public Prosecutor R. John Sathyan told the court the DVAC received a communication dated November 6 from the School Education Department to conduct detailed enquiry against unknown public servants in respect of the allegation about the books recommended and purchased by 137 members of the Books Recommendation Committee constituted to purchase the books for all the libraries including Periyar Arivulagam, Coimbatore.

On November 7, the DVAC commenced a detailed enquiry and on November 9, documents were collected. On November 10, some of the key witnesses such as Prof. Perumal Murugan and Prof. Parveen Sultana were also examined, it was submitted.

The court said Periyar Arivulagam is not the only situs for such suspect books. Tenkasi District Library has been another destination.

The court took into account that a G.O. issued in 2025 by the School Education Department constituted four committees, namely, Book Recommendation Committee; Book Selection Committee; Book Procurement Negotiation Committee; and High Level Committee.

The Director of Public Libraries R.V. Shajeevana told the court a sum of ₹17 lakh was paid to Agal Vilakku for purchasing 1,700 titles from them. Agal Vilakku offered 2,335 titles and out of them 1,700 were selected.

The court also took into account the submission made by Badrinarayanan Seshadri of ‘Kizhakku Pathippagam’ that this sum was obscenely high for a single publisher. He underlined the point by making a comparison of his own ‘Kizhakku Pathippagam’, which had published hundreds of books, but was handed an order for ₹23,000.

“Agal Vilakku, which is a shady entity, on the other hand was paid ₹17 lakh. When not even one book of Agal Vilakku was seen in the market, we fail to understand as to how no one’s suspicion was aroused at the generosity meted out to Agal Vilakku,” the court said.

According to Badrinarayanan, the Recommendation Committee which comprised reputed individuals would not have been taken into confidence. Agal Vilakku must have been clandestinely inserted because the entire process took place at the digital level. According to him, those suppliers who were willing to bribe the officials concerned had their bills settled without delay, the court noted.

The court said it would be in order if the department publishes a consolidated and comprehensive list of books procured for public libraries over the last two decades. The publications have also to be catalogued. The number of books purchased and the amounts paid to the respective suppliers must also be furnished. The statement to be made by the Director of Public Libraries must contain the date of submission of bills and the date when they were settled.

The affidavit to be filed by the Director of Public Libraries must contain details regarding the number of suspect books despatched to various public libraries in Tamil Nadu. There cannot be difficulty in placing this information because all the public libraries have already prepared a list of such books and also removed them. The total amounts paid to each of such suspect publications will also be made available, the court said.

We take note of the fact that there are quite a few well known publications. The number of books and titles procured from such publications should also be indicated, the court said.

“Agal Vilakku means earthen lamp. It signifies light. The unanimous public opinion is that it should have been condemned to eternal darkness. We want the department as well as DVAC to rise to the occasion. Not one official associated with this scam should go scot-free. All of them must be brought to book (pun intended). That does not mean that we have pre-judged anything. No individual has been condemned by us. Without giving the fullest opportunity, we will not conclude that any particular individual is guilty of wilful breach of the judicial order,” the court said.

The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by advocate V. Ramasubbu of Tirunelveli district. The petitioner complained about the non-compliance of the court order passed in 2024. Further hearing in the contempt petition has been posted to November 16.