The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has sought details of who recommended the procurement of books from Agal Vilakku Publications for Coimbatore’s E.V.R. Arivulagam, while giving the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption time to register a case and the Tamil Nadu government time to report the action taken.
The proceedings relate to allegations that purportedly fake books from some publishers were purchased and placed at the E.V.R. Arivulagam facility in Coimbatore. The books were subsequently removed and kept in safe custody, according to the report placed before the court. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption is investigating the procurement.
A petition before the court sought a Central Bureau of Investigation or Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department inquiry into the purchase. It also sought action for contempt of court against Tamil Nadu Higher Education Secretary Gopal and Director of Public Libraries Shajeevana, alleging that an order issued by the High Court in 2024 had not been implemented.
Justices G.R. Swaminathan and M.D. Sumathy heard the matter. During the hearing, the judges asked who had recommended purchasing books from Agal Vilakku Publications. The Public Libraries Department responded that a 112-member committee had recommended the purchase of the books.
The Tamil Nadu government told the court that the decision had been considered by the recommendation committee, purchase committee and a higher-level committee. The report also referred to four committees involved in the procurement process, with East Books stating that the structure should make it possible to identify where Agal Vilakku had been included.
The proceedings place the procurement process, rather than only the quality of the books, at the centre of the court’s scrutiny. The questions concern the chain of recommendation and approval through the committees involved, as well as the steps taken after the alleged irregularities came to light.
The court granted the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption time until November 16 to register a case over the alleged book procurement irregularities. It also directed the government to file a report on the action taken before the next stage of the proceedings.
