A contempt of court petition was filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday, November 10, alleging disobedience of a June 2024 order that directed the Tamil Nadu government to ensure transparency in the procurement of books for public libraries. Hearing the matter, a Bench of Justices GR Swaminathan and MD Sumathi directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register an FIR into alleged fraudulent practices and sought the names of officials responsible for the procurement irregularities.
Justice GR Swaminathan, who was part of the Bench that passed the original order along with Justice R Mahadevan (now a Supreme Court judge), told the newly appointed Director of Public Libraries, RV Shajeevana, that the matters that had recently come to light amounted to "blatant disobedience" of the court's directions. The judge said the Bench intended to take the matter very seriously.
The judges said the fraudulent practices in the procurement of books for public libraries had been uncovered following an article written by Tamil author Perumal Murugan. Justice Swaminathan said that "heads must roll" over the alleged scam and sought to know who had recommended the procurement of publications by Agal Vilakku.
"Don't try to save anybody," Justice Swaminathan told the Director of Public Libraries, while questioning why action had not been taken against those responsible.
The judge observed that if the director had lodged a complaint in 2024 and an FIR had been registered then, the alleged scam that has now come to light could have been prevented.
The Bench directed the Director of Public Libraries to submit, by the following day, a list of officials responsible for the fraudulent procurement so that contempt proceedings could be initiated against them. Justice Swaminathan also sought the names of all officials involved and directed that the bank accounts of the publishers allegedly involved in the irregularities be seized.
Additional Advocate General B Saravanan told the court that all details would be placed before it within 24 hours.
State Public Prosecutor R John Sathyan informed the Bench that the DVAC had received a complaint from the School Education Department on November 6, 2026, and commenced a detailed inquiry into the issue on November 7.
Justice Swaminathan said the inquiry should be completed at the earliest and that an FIR should be registered by the following day.
The contempt proceedings arise from a writ petition filed by S Krishnan, a resident of Nagercoil, in 2019, alleging irregularities in the procurement of books for public libraries in Tamil Nadu. On June 19, 2024, a Bench comprising then Acting Chief Justice R Mahadevan and Justice G R Swaminathan allowed the petition and issued a series of directions to ensure transparency in the procurement process.
In its order, the court observed that the allegations concerning the procurement of books were supported by material placed before it and described the practices as a reflection of the "rot in the system".
The petitioner had alleged that publishers were republishing older books under different titles and authors' names to secure fresh government orders. The court noted that books whose copyrights had expired, including nationalised books, were being republished and repackaged with false titles and covers.
The order also pointed out that the existing procurement conditions prohibited a book from being purchased again for a public library within five years. However, the court observed that this condition had been "flagrantly breached".
"This is nothing short of a scam," the Bench said.
The court further observed that the government, as the custodian of nationalised copyrights, had an obligation to protect the moral right of authors to be identified as the creators of their literary works.
"A bath in the Ganga is believed to wash away one's past sins. But the issuance of GO cannot absolve the department of the misdeeds committed in the past by the officials," the court said, referring to the Transparent Book Procurement Policy introduced.
Allowing the writ petition, the court directed that all book procurement for public libraries in Tamil Nadu must comply with the policy. It also directed the Director of Public Libraries to maintain a dedicated, user-friendly and functional website. Notifications inviting publishers to supply books were to be published on the website, with simultaneous email communication to publishers in Tamil Nadu who had published at least 200 books.
The court further directed that once books were shortlisted for procurement, their details, including book covers, must be published on a separate webpage. The public and publishers were to be given one month to submit remarks, comments and objections, which were to remain available on the website.
The state government was also directed to constitute a committee to inquire into the allegations, seek the views of publishers and publish a comprehensive report within five months of receiving the order.
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