The DMK has filed a complaint with Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption seeking an investigation into alleged irregularities in book procurement for Coimbatore’s E.V. Ramasamy Library, according to a report by Dinamalar.
The complaint was submitted by Parandhaman, joint secretary of the DMK legal wing. It asks the anti-corruption authorities to examine how books were selected, ordered, supplied and paid for, while establishing which officials handled and approved the procurement process.
The complaint refers to reports of alleged corruption in the purchase of books for the library. It asks investigators to identify the officials who issued purchase orders to publishers and determine whether the books were assessed and selected individually or procured in bulk.
It also seeks details of the dates on which purchase orders were issued, the officials who initiated, signed and approved the procurement file, and whether the designated book selection and procurement committee approved the purchases. The complaint further asks whether the prescribed procedure was followed.
Among the questions raised is whether authors named in the procurement records—including Trisha Vijay, Sangeetha Vijay, Thamarai Panneer, Thamarai Murali and Monica Ravi—actually exist. The complaint does not establish that the names are fictitious; it asks the vigilance authorities to verify the identities as part of the proposed investigation.
The DMK has also sought verification of when the books were delivered, whether their quality and quantity were checked after receipt, and how much money was paid to each publisher and on which dates. These records would help establish the chain of responsibility from selection and approval to delivery and payment.
The complaint places the library’s procurement system under scrutiny rather than establishing that a fraud has occurred. The allegations will require examination of official files, purchase orders, committee records, delivery registers, invoices and payment documents by the competent authority.
For public libraries, procurement controls determine whether allocated money results in the acquisition of genuine and usable books. They also establish whether the institution can account for what was ordered, what was received and who authorised the expenditure. In this case, the complaint has specifically asked the vigilance directorate to investigate those administrative and financial links.
The report did not state whether the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption has registered a case, ordered a preliminary enquiry or issued a response to the complaint. The next step will depend on the authority’s decision on the request and any examination of the records identified in the complaint.
