A retired Madras High Court judge and four scholars want a court-watched inquiry into books bought for Tamil Nadu’s libraries, while the vigilance directorate has already begun one.
At the Connemara Public Library alone, 523 books from one publisher now under scrutiny sit on the shelves, School Education Minister Rajmohan said on Monday after walking through the stacks. The purchases date to 2025.
His visit came on the same day as a joint statement from writers, publishers and academics asking for an investigation monitored by the Madras High Court. Its signatories include former High Court judge D Hari Paranthaman, researchers S V Rajadurai and R Balakrishnan, former vice-chancellor L Jawahar Nesan and Prof V Arasu. The statement is a demand; it does not say a petition has been filed.
What the writers say happened
The signatories allege that 1,800 to 2,000 books carrying the names of authors who do not exist were bought for the new Periyar library in Coimbatore, பெரியார் அறிவுலகம் (Periyar Arivulagam), from two publishers working out of the same address. According to the statement, the books stitched together material freely available online, carried several errors and were priced several times above comparable titles. The writers say this cost the government money and took shelf space away from genuine authors and researchers. The questions first surfaced in social media posts by writer Balasubramanian Ponraj on 17 October and artist Sundaran Murugesan on 24 October, and in an article by novelist Perumal Murugan on 6 November.
Six demands in the joint statement
- Disclose who recommended, selected and authorised payment for the disputed books.
- Take legal action against the officials and publishers found responsible.
- Recover the money paid and seize the books from every library.
- Order a time-bound audit of all Tamil Nadu libraries by independent expert committees.
- Amend the 2024 procurement policy, and share the final purchase list with the recommending panel so members can check it.
The minister’s account
Rajmohan has said the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) is investigating, after his department lodged a complaint seeking a probe under the Prevention of Corruption Act. On Monday he said the DVAC inquiry was “only the beginning” and that a separate committee could follow. He said Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had directed officials to ensure a swift and impartial investigation.
“Corruption in the name of Periyar cannot be condoned,” the minister said.
He alleged that influential politicians or officials must have backed the purchases, and that the racket predated the present government. Speaking at the Anna Centenary Library on 6 November, he said the purchase order was dated 14 February 2026, demanded supply within seven days, and that payment left the treasury on 14 March. These are the minister’s allegations. No finding has been made.
Orders paused in Tiruchy, Salem, Cuddalore and Tirunelveli
The fallout has reached libraries still being built. Tenders worth ₹30 crore for books for the Kamarajar library under construction in Tiruchy were cancelled by an order dated 6 November, the Tiruchy District Library Officer has confirmed. Purchases for the new Bharathidasan Knowledge Centre in Salem, the Anjalai Ammal Knowledge Centre in Cuddalore and the Quaid-e-Millath Library in Tirunelveli are on hold, and the minister has said questionable titles will be pulled from public libraries.
The rules the purchases went through
Book buying for public libraries runs through the Transparent Book Procurement Policy of 2024. A government order of 5 November 2025 extended it to the Periyar library and to central libraries in six new districts. Under it, a 137-member expert panel recommends titles, a 13-member selection committee settles the list, and two five-member committees handle price talks and a final scrutiny. The minister has said 112 of the experts took part.
On paper, the Directorate of Public Libraries asks every publisher for an ISBN, a 20-25 page digital excerpt and five print copies, one each for Connemara, the Anna Centenary Library and the Kalaignar Centenary Library, and two for the procurement cell in Chennai, with prices set against the directorate’s own price index.
For Context
The Directorate of Public Libraries was formed in 1972 under the Tamil Nadu Public Libraries Act, 1948. Its flagship branch outside Chennai, the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai, cost ₹218.19 crore and held 3,64,521 books, according to the School Education Department’s Policy Note for 2025-26, which counted about 16,55,820 readers there in 2024-25.
Checked against official sources on 11 November 2026.
Sources
- Transparent Book Procurement guidelines, Directorate of Public Libraries, Tamil Nadu
- Policy Note 2025-2026, School Education Department, Government of Tamil Nadu
- Remarks of School Education Minister Rajmohan at Connemara Public Library, Chennai, 9 November 2026
- Remarks of School Education Minister Rajmohan at Anna Centenary Library, Chennai, 6 November 2026
