A demand for a retired High Court judge-led commission of inquiry has intensified after allegations of large-scale irregularities in the purchase of books for a recently opened library in Coimbatore. The allegation was made by Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who called for legal action against anyone found responsible, while the supplied report does not include procurement documents or an independent confirmation of the alleged irregularities.
In a statement carried by Dinamalar, Palaniswami said writer Perumal Murugan had alleged that the library’s book procurement involved corruption running into several crores of rupees. Palaniswami described the allegation as serious because public libraries are intended to improve access to knowledge and serve residents.
Palaniswami also questioned whether the books supplied to the library, along with its supporting infrastructure, had been properly examined before the facility was opened. He referred to the library as having been inaugurated recently by the chief minister and argued that an inspection should have taken place before the opening ceremony.
The statement did not provide details of the alleged procurement value, the vendors involved, the tender process, the number of books purchased, or any audit findings. It also did not identify an existing criminal case, departmental inquiry, court order or official report establishing that corruption had occurred. Those details would be necessary to determine whether the allegation concerns inflated prices, non-compliant procurement, inadequate book quality, missing stock or another form of irregularity.
Palaniswami further alleged that the ruling establishment and the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam had been blaming one another over responsibility for the issue. The supplied report does not include responses from the state government, the library administration, procurement officials, the alleged suppliers or Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
The dispute highlights the importance of transparent procurement and post-delivery verification in public libraries. A library project is not complete when a building is opened; authorities must also establish that books were selected through a documented process, delivered in the contracted quantity and recorded in an accessible inventory. The supplied material, however, does not establish whether such checks were conducted in this case.
Palaniswami demanded that the government immediately constitute a commission headed by a retired High Court judge and take swift legal action against all those found involved, regardless of which administration was responsible. Whether such an inquiry will be ordered, and whether official records will confirm or disprove the allegations, remains unestablished in the supplied report.
