Madras High Court freezes twenty-two lakh rupees in publisher accounts amid library book procurement probe

The Tamil Nadu government informed the Madras High Court that a structured FIR will be registered regarding suspected irregularities in library book purchases. Three bank accounts belonging to the publisher Agal Vilakku were frozen, holding a total of twenty-two lakh rupees. Director of Public Libraries R.V. Shajeevana stated that seventeen lakh rupees was paid to Agal Vilakku for one thousand seven hundred titles out of two thousand three hundred thirty-five offered.

Court Proceedings

Heard by a Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and M.D. Sumathi on a contempt petition filed by advocate V. Ramasubbu, the court ordered the production of all procurement records. State Public Prosecutor R. John Sathyan submitted that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption received a communication on November 6 to conduct an inquiry against unknown public servants. The DVAC collected documents on November 9 and examined key witnesses including Prof. Perumal Murugan and Prof. Parveen Sultana on November 10.

Publisher Discrepancies

Badrinarayanan Seshadri of Kizhakku Pathippagam told the court that the seventeen lakh rupee payment to Agal Vilakku was unusually high for a single publisher, noting his own firm received an order for only twenty-three thousand rupees despite publishing hundreds of books. The court noted that Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore and the Tenkasi District Library were destinations for suspect books. Further hearing in the petition is scheduled for November 16.

Context

Public libraries in Tamil Nadu rely on government-appointed committees to transparently select and procure books for readers across the state. Judicial oversight in procurement matters helps ensure public funds are spent correctly and transparently.