Suryaa National Desk: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court issued warnings regarding significant irregularities in the procurement of books for public libraries in Tamil Nadu in July 2024. The court described the procurement process as violating government regulations and stated it was "nothing less than a scam," ordering the government to establish a high-level committee to conduct a comprehensive inquiry. The court's previous directives have resurfaced following recent allegations by author Perumal Murugan regarding corruption in book procurement for the Periyar Arivulagam Knowledge Center in Coimbatore.
According to public library regulations, books purchased for libraries cannot be re-procured for five years. The court identified that publishers and certain officials violated this rule. Petitioners informed the court that the scheme involved targeting works by authors whose copyrights have expired or whose works were nationalized, such as Kalki, Thiru. Vi. Kalyanasundaram, Na. Parthasarathy, and A.S. Gnanasambandan. The court noted that these books were rebranded with new titles, fake covers, and altered author names to secure funds annually, as there were no heirs to file copyright infringement complaints.
The court specifically cited the example of Kalki’s historical novel, "Sivagamiyin Sabatham," which was reprinted and sold to libraries in 2013 under the new title "Veeram Vilaindha Varalatru Pudhinangal Part-1." The judge expressed concern over the network of illegal purchases involving the re-packaging and re-printing of classic works to exploit the government treasury.
The Madras High Court ordered the Higher Education Secretary to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into book purchases made over the past several years. The court further directed the implementation of a transparent, online-based procurement system for public libraries to prevent future irregularities. Literary and civil society groups have noted that if the court's earlier directives had been implemented, the current controversies might have been avoided.