MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has held that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) does not require prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to conduct an inquiry or investigation into alleged irregularities in the procurement of books for public libraries.
A division bench comprising Justices GR Swaminathan and MD Sumathi observed, “The purpose of holding an inquiry is only to find out if a crime has been committed. The identification of the offender can be done during investigation. In this case, since it has been conceded that a crime has been committed, we felt that an FIR should be registered forthwith. Since the learned state public prosecutor has undertaken that the DVAC would register an FIR within a few days, we grant them time.”
The bench observed that bound stationery passing for books had been purchased for various public libraries, leading to an expenditure of several million rupees from the public exchequer. It said the alleged scandal could not have been perpetrated without the involvement of officials working in the Directorate of Public Libraries.
Examining the procurement process, the bench noted that four committees — the Book Recommendation Committee, Book Selection Committee, Book Procurement Negotiation Committee and High Level Committee — had been constituted through a Government Order dated November 5, 2025. The Director of Public Libraries had given the court the impression that the suspect books had also been recommended and approved by these committees.
The court recorded the submissions of Badrinarayanan Seshadri of Kizhakku Pathippagam, who pointed out that his publishing house, despite having published hundreds of books, had received a purchase order worth only Rs 23,000, while Agal Vilakku Publications had been paid Rs 17 lakh. Agal Vilakku had offered 2,335 titles, of which 1,700 were selected, the bench noted.
Seshadri expressed the view that the recommendation committee comprising reputed individuals might not have been taken into confidence. “Agal Vilakku must have been clandestinely inserted because the entire process took place digitally,” said Seshadri.
*Tamil translation of Mann Ki Baat never made it to libraries*
The Madras High Court observed that Badrinarayanan Seshadri of Kizhakku Pathippagam offered to assist the investigating authorities in unearthing the alleged cyber fraud.
The court also recorded that a member of the expert committee had informed it that a Tamil translation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat', titled 'Manathin Kural', had been recommended but rejected and had not made it to the shelves of public libraries in Tamil Nadu. The bench said it sought to verify the information by questioning the Director of Public Libraries, but received no response.
The bench said the Department of School Education should publish a consolidated and comprehensive list of books procured for public libraries over the last two decades, along with the titles, number of books purchased and amounts paid to the respective publishers. It also observed that details of the dates on which publishers submitted their bills and the dates on which payments were settled would help establish transparency, though it clarified that it was not issuing a direction on this aspect at that stage.
The court directed the Director of Public Libraries to file an affidavit specifying the number of suspect books dispatched to various public libraries across Tamil Nadu and the amounts paid to each of the publishers concerned. It also mandated the production of all relevant records relating to the procurement. The bench further sought details of the books and titles procured from established publishers, including Vijaya Pathippagam, Sandhiya Pathippagam, Kaalachuvadu, Uyirmai Pathippagam and New Century Book House.
The next hearing is on Monday.