A plea seeking a Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) investigation into alleged irregularities in the purchase of books for Coimbatore’s Periyar Knowledge Centre has been moved before the Madras High Court, with the matter likely to be listed for hearing in the next few days.
The petition was filed by E Parandhaman, joint secretary of the DMK legal wing. It seeks directions to the DVAC to register a case and investigate the alleged procurement irregularities. The claims in the petition concern the use of public funds allocated for a major knowledge and public education facility in Coimbatore.
According to the petitioner, Rs 50 crore was allocated for purchasing books for the centre, which was inaugurated on October 16. A 117-member book recommendation committee was constituted in November 2025 to recommend titles for procurement, the petition stated.
The petitioner alleged that a large number of books generated using artificial intelligence had been purchased from Agal Vilakku and Phoenix publishers. He also claimed that 162 books authored by a person identified as Monica Ravi were purchased within six months. Hundreds of books attributed to authors named Lakshmi Mohan, Thamarai Panneer, Thamarai Murali and Jyothi Hariharan were also procured, according to the plea.
The allegations have raised questions over the authenticity of some of the books and the process used to recommend and purchase them. The supplied report does not establish whether the titles or authors cited in the petition were found to be inauthentic by an independent investigation.
The petitioner said the chief minister and leaders of various political parties had expressed objections to the alleged irregularities. The school education minister has ordered an administrative inquiry into the issue, according to the report.
Parandhaman had lodged a complaint with the DVAC on November 7, seeking registration of a criminal case and a probe into the allegations, his counsel told the court. The petition argues that the administrative inquiry ordered by the government is insufficient and seeks an impartial investigation rather than an inquiry that assigns responsibility to the previous government without first conducting a comprehensive examination.
The case places scrutiny on the procurement systems supporting a publicly funded knowledge facility. The immediate legal question before the High Court will be whether the allegations and the existing administrative response warrant directions for a vigilance investigation. The plea is expected to be taken up for hearing in the coming days.
