Five officials suspended in Tamil Nadu library procurement scam

CHENNAI: Four days after the Madras High Court ordered disciplinary action against officials involved in the alleged public library book procurement scam, the Tamil Nadu government on Sunday suspended five senior officials of the Public Libraries Department.

The action, ordered by School Education Minister Rajmohan, comes amid a DVAC probe into allegations of large-scale financial irregularities, including the purchase of AI-generated publications, plagiarised works and books carrying fictitious authors’ names and questionable ISBNs.

The suspended officials include S Kamatchi, Chief Librarian and Information Officer (in-charge) and Deputy Chief Librarian, Anna Centenary Library (ACL), Chennai; Dinesh Kumar, Chief Librarian and Information Officer (in-charge), Kalaignar Centenary Library, Madurai; V Santhanakrishnan, Librarian and Information Officer, Kalaignar Centenary Library and in-charge of Periyar Library; S Santhana Karthikeyan, Librarian and Information Officer, ACL; and J Juliet, Chief Accounts Officer, Directorate of Public Libraries.

The suspensions follow a November 10 order by a Division Bench of Justices G R Swaminathan and M D Sumathi of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, directing the government to initiate disciplinary proceedings, including suspension of officials involved. The court also ordered the DVAC to register an FIR and freeze the bank accounts of Agal Vilakku Publications, its proprietor and others involved.

Observing that the alleged irregularities could not have occurred without the involvement of government officials, the Bench called for those responsible to be identified.

The controversy erupted after writer Perumal Murugan raised concerns over questionable books stocked at Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore. Subsequent scrutiny brought similar discrepancies in publications stocked at other government libraries to light.

The DVAC is examining procurement records, financial transactions and the role of officials and publishers in the alleged irregularities. The High Court is also monitoring the investigation and has sought details of those responsible.