2 publishers · first seen Fri, 06 Nov 2026 14:52 UTC · updated Sat, 07 Nov 2026 12:59 UTC
Tamil Nadu's Madras High Court has ordered an investigation into alleged irregularities in the procurement of books for public libraries, calling it a scam. The court directed the government to constitute a committee to look into the matter. The allegations were brought to light by a petition filed by S. Krishnan in 2019. The court noted that books were being republished under false titles and authors' names, and that nationalised books and those with expired copyrights were being targeted. The court also directed the government to follow transparent procedures for book procurement. The case has now been reopened following a recent expose by writer Perumal Murugan on substandard books in the Periyar Arivulagam library in Coimbatore.
The political row over the establishment of the Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore has intensified following allegations by writer Perumal Murugan of massive corruption and a book-procurement scam. The library, which was inaugurated by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, has been accused of procuring books from unfamiliar publishers at inflated prices.
Content auto-generated. May contain inaccuracies.