The Madras High Court ordered an FIR and disciplinary action over fraudulent library book procurement. The intervention exposes alleged repackaging of old works and demands transparent public spending.The Madras High Court ordered an FIR and disciplinary action over fraudulent library book procurement.Madurai,Nov 11, 2026 06:46 ISTThe Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to identify officials responsible for fraudulent procurement of books for public libraries and take disciplinary action against them, including suspension, news agency Press Trust of India reported.The court also ordered the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to immediately register an FIR, freeze the bank accounts of Agal Vilakku Publication, its proprietor Mohan and others involved, and determine the amount spent on the books.A Division Bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and MD Sumathi said the facts had emerged the previous week, but no FIR had been registered.

The Madurai Bench directed the Director of Public Libraries to provide the names and details of officials responsible for fraudulent procurement of so-called books over the past two years and more."We also direct the DVAC to forthwith register an FIR. The bank account of Agal Vilakku Publication as well as Mohan, Proprietor and others involved shall be frozen immediately.

The government shall immediately take disciplinary action, including suspension of the officials involved," the court said. The bench directed librarians to prepare an inventory of the suspect books immediately and keep them away from readers.

It also asked the authorities to inform the court of the exact amount spent on procuring them, PTI reported."All the relevant records shall be made available (photocopies). In particular, a report shall be filed before us in the form of an affidavit by the Director of Public Libraries setting out the entire sequence and trajectory of events.

The persons involved from top to bottom shall be identified and named," the court said. The bench warned that Tamil Nadu's public libraries could meet the fate of the destroyed Library of Alexandria if books were not procured in the public interest.

It directed that procurement for public libraries must comply with the government order dated March 7, 2024."Time has come to put in place a proper mechanism for such procurement. Tamil Nadu today boasts of a number of very good publishers who are bringing out excellent books.

They must be encouraged. Their books must be bought.

Procurement cannot be linked to payment of commission. The public must be encouraged to spend time in libraries and the habit of reading must be inculcated," the court said.The case arose from a petition filed by Ramasubbu, a Nagercoil resident who runs a literary forum.

The court said he had drawn its attention to the "scandalous state of affairs" in the procurement of books for Tamil Nadu's public libraries.The petitioner described in detail how the alleged fraud was carried out and submitted evidence in support of his claims. "His statements are not made in the air," the court said, adding that he had provided solid proof and justification.According to the petition, works by earlier writers such as Thiru Vi Ka, A Sa Gnana Sambanthan and Na Parthasarathy were republished and presented as recent publications. Although procurement rules barred changes to a book's year of publication, the court said there were several instances in which this condition had been violated.The court cited the example of "Veeram Vilaintha Varalatru Puthinangal Part-I", published in 2013, which it said was a copy of Kalki's "Sivakamiyin Sabatham".

It also referred to a book titled "Democracy and People's Right in the Contemporary World" at the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai, which attributed authorship to economist Jean Dreze. The court said Dreze was baffled and had denounced the book as fake."Books that have been nationalised and those books whose copyrights have expired were chosen for such re-publication.

Since the legal heirs of the writers cannot complain of copyright violation, the fraudsters could resort to such re-publication and re-packaging with false titles and book covers with impunity," the court said.The writ petition was filed in 2019. Noting that five years had passed without the allegations being denied, the court held that they must be treated as unrebutted.The High Court has now ordered an immediate criminal investigation, action against the officials involved, scrutiny of the books and expenditure, and compliance with the prescribed procurement rules for Tamil Nadu's public libraries.- Ends