Library book ‘fraud’: The Madras High Court warned and called for an inquiry two years ago

File image for representational purposes only | Photo credit: Thulasi Kakkat

“This is nothing short of a fraud,” the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court wrote on alleged irregularities in the procurement of books for public libraries in Tamil Nadu and urged the government to set up a committee to probe the allegations leveled by the petitioner in June 2024. A bench of Justices R. Mahadevan and GR Swaminathan also gave directions for transparent procedures in the procurement of books.

In the backdrop of writer Perumal Murugan’s exposure of shoddy books containing grossly erroneous historical information that made it to the shelves of Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore, it is worth looking at how the court has tried to streamline book procurement.

S. Krishnan, who runs a literary forum in Nagercoil, moved the court in 2019 (when the AIADMK was in power) over irregularities in the purchase of books for public libraries.

“He (petitioner) brings to our attention the scandalous state of affairs prevailing in the procurement of books for public libraries in Tamil Nadu,” the court said. “The petitioner has detailed the modus operandi in the affidavit filed in support of the writ petition. His statements cannot be heard on air. He provides solid evidence and reasoning,” the judges said.

While detailing the modus operandi, the court pointed out that the director of the public library is authorized to procure books for public libraries. “He would issue notices inviting publishers interested in supplying books. While one of the conditions would be that the year of publication of the book should not be changed, many cases suggest otherwise. For example, ‘Veeram Vilaintha Varalatru Puthinangal Part-I’ which came out in 2013 is nothing but a copy of Sivay Kalki’s petition. The Sabatham. ancient writers like Thiru Vi Ka, A.Sa, Na .Parthasarathy, etc. were again published as if they were recent books that had been nationalized, and those books whose copyrights had expired were selected for such reissues, because the legal heirs of authors cannot complain of repackaging and repackaging with such copyright infringement.”

According to the norms, once a book is purchased for a public library, it cannot be purchased again for the next five years. “It can be seen that this condition has been clearly violated. Nationalized books are being reprinted and published under different titles and authors’ names and procured every year. It is nothing short of fraud,” the court said.

The Hindu Report quoted

In his petition, Mr. Krishnan attached a report published in The Hindu dated January 11, 2019, in which a publisher claimed that 99% of books printed exclusively on government library orders would not be available in the open market. Another publisher complained that the publisher was running a dozen publications under different names just to win government contracts, and that quality had suffered. It was also claimed that 95% of the books were actually from publishers who are prepared to pay commission to library order clerks.

Curiously, for five years, the government did not file its counter-affidavit, prompting the court to note that “the rule of non-examination will apply and we must take it that the allegations leveled by the petitioner are unrebutted”. Then, the Pleader government submitted a Government Order (GO) of the Ministry of Education dated 7 March 2024, establishing a policy for transparent purchase of books until 2024. This GO recognized unfair practices such as selling books by changing the title or author’s name.

The judges, however, said, “The petitioner’s case is that the procurement so far has facilitated such malpractices. Bathing in the Ganga is believed to wash away one’s past sins. However, issuance of GO cannot absolve the department of past misdeeds by officials.”

The judges allowed the suit and issued directions for the purchase of the books. They said the director of public libraries must maintain a dedicated, user-friendly and functional website and spread awareness about it through social media.

“When books are proposed to be procured, a notice must be published on the website. At the same time, an email communication should be sent to those publishers operating in Tamil Nadu who have published at least 200 books. The second respondent will have to maintain a list of such publishers. This alone will give sufficient notice. Once the books proposed for purchase are shortlisted, a separate website should also be published. page. Details should be published on the cover. A period of one month should be given for raising comments, objections and objections should be taken into account on the website while finalizing the contract,” the court said.

A step further, he ordered the government to set up a committee to investigate the allegations leveled by the petitioner. “The views of various publishers will be sought in this regard. A comprehensive report will be published within five months from the date of receipt of a copy of this order. It should catalog all the malpractices that have come to light so far. Action should be taken against the officials concerned. The action taken report should also be published on the website within six months thereafter. Those concerned should be prosecuted if necessary.”

However, there is no public evidence that the then DMK government acted in this direction.

Published – November 7, 2026 11:03 AM IST