States » SouthPosted at: Nov 10 2026 8:22PM


Row over fake books in Periyar Arivulagam in Kovai, Madras HC orders freezing of Agal Vilakku Publishing's bank accounts

Chennai, Nov 10 (UNI) As the row over supply of fake books with AI-generated contents to Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore started getting bigger and bigger, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered immediate freezing of the bank accounts of Agal Vilakku Publishing House and directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register an FIR regarding a public library book procurement scam.
Hearing a contempt plea filed by an advocate V.Ramsubbu from Tirunelveli district after writer and Akademi award winner Perumal Murugan exposed the scam, A Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and Ms.M.D.Sumathi issued the freezing orders, of Agal Vilakku from which the controversial books were procured, and directed the DVAC to register a case/FIR immediately.
Questioning as to who had authorised procurement of such books, the Bench also directed the Director of Public Libraries (R.V.Shajeevana) to submit a list of officials responsible for the procurement decisions.
The contempt plea was filed alleging non-compliance of the court's 2024 guidelines, while disposing of a plea filed in 2019, on transparent library book purchases after Perumal Murugan said nearly 1,800 substandard or questionable books (some allegedly featuring AI-generated content or factual errors) were procured for libraries in Periyar Arivulagam, Trichy, Salem, Cuddalore, and Tirunelveli. "The court had issued orders in 2024, mandating that notifications regarding the procurement of books for public libraries must be published online.
It was also ordered that the public and publishers be granted sufficient time to submit their opinions, objections, and recommendations, and that the procurement process should be finalised only thereafter. However, these directives are not being implemented properly,"
he contended.
He also prayed for initiating contempt of court proceedings against the School Education Department Secretary for such lapses.
During the hearing, the government counsel said "The government is currently conducting an inquiry into the matter and that submit
full details regarding the book procurement will be submitted by tomorrow."
Accepting this, the judges directed that further details, including who had recommended the purchase of books from Agal Vilakku Publishing House for the Periyar Arivulagam should be submitted tomorrow.
The Bench also questioned DVAC for not registering a case orders filing an FIR immediately.
Meanwhile, allegations surfaced that sub-standard books were procured for Kalaignar Library (named after former CM M.Karunanidhi) and that DVAC had started its probe into the Periyar library row on a complaint both from the ruling TVK and the main opposition DMK.
The books in question have since been taken off the shelves from the library after the row triggered a political outrage with the TVK and the DMk blaming each other for the lapses, besides alleging corruption in procurement.
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Tags: #Row over fake books in Periyar Arivulagam in Kovai# Madras HC orders freezing of Agal Vilakku Publishing's bank accounts
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