On 10th November (Tuesday), the Madras High Court has ordered a criminal investigation into a large-scale scam in the procurement of books for public libraries across Tamil Nadu. The controversy involves AI-generated content, fictitious authors, inflated prices, and the repackaging of old works, all of which surfaced after a prominent writer flagged irregularities at a newly inaugurated library in Coimbatore.
How the scandal surfaced
The matter came to public attention in early November 2026 after Tamil novelist Perumal Murugan, who was also a member of a committee constituted to recommend books for new libraries, published an essay detailing serious irregularities. Murugan wrote about expensive books containing elementary factual errors, questionable historical claims, and authors’ names that were unfamiliar or appeared fictitious at the Periyar Arivulagam library in Coimbatore.
Following Murugan’s revelations, Tamil Nadu School Education Minister A. Rajmohan inspected the library and subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on 6 November, 2026. The DVAC commenced a detailed inquiry the following day.
The court proceedings
The court proceedings arose from a contempt petition filed in the 2024 order of the Madras High Court. The 2024 order, passed by Justices R. Mahadevan (now a Supreme Court judge) and G.R. Swaminathan, had directed the state to ensure transparency in book procurement, including a dedicated website, publication of shortlisted books, and a month’s time for public objections.
A Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and M.D. Sumathi at the Madurai Bench heard the contempt petition and passed a series of directions. According to the court, no formal complaint had been filed despite the facts having surfaced the week before.
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) was directed to immediately register a First Information Report (FIR) into the fraudulent procurement. The court ordered the immediate freezing of bank accounts belonging to Agal Vilakku Publication, its proprietor Mohan, and others involved in the scam.
The state government was directed to immediately initiate disciplinary action, including suspension, against officials responsible for the fraudulent procurement. The Director of Public Libraries was directed to provide the names and details of officials responsible for fraudulent procurements over the past two years so they could be impleaded as contemnors.
Librarians were directed to prepare an inventory of suspect books and keep them away from readers. Authorities were directed to inform the court of the exact amount spent on procuring these books and to file an affidavit detailing the entire sequence of events.
Key Judicial Observations
The Bench noted that “crores of rupees have gone out of the public exchequer” and that a crime of such magnitude could not have occurred without the active involvement of government servants. It observed that provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act were attracted.
The court held that the procurement of bogus books infringed the public’s right to receive accurate and quality information under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. It stated that stacking books with false content and by phantom authors breached the statutory duty under the Tamil Nadu Public Libraries Act, 1948.
The Bench observed that AI-generated and plagiarised books could fall within the expression “doubtful taste” under the Tamil Nadu Public Libraries Rules, 1950, and should not be procured. The court warned that public libraries could meet the fate of the destroyed Library of Alexandria if books were not procured in the public interest.
The contempt petition will continue, with the matter posted for further hearing on 11 November, 2026. The State Public Prosecutor informed the court that the DVAC had received the complaint on 6 November and commenced a detailed inquiry on 7 November.
Key details of the scam
The investigation focuses on a Chennai-based publishing house named Agal Vilakku Publications (also referred to as Agal Vilakku Pathippagam), owned by a proprietor named Mohan.
The scale of the irregularities is huge. In Coimbatore’s Periyar Arivulagam library, approximately 3,000 suspected fake books were boxed and sealed. Minister Rajmohan said that nearly 1,800 books from Agal Vilakku were stocked at this library alone. 523 books supplied under the Agal Vilakku name were identified in the Connemara Library, Chennai.
In the District Central Library, Tenkasi, around 2,200 AI-generated books from the same publisher were removed and shifted to a separate storeroom. Library staff reported that these books began arriving in mid-December 2025 and that payments to Agal Vilakku were released much faster than to other publishers.
Removed books carried names of several unfamiliar/fake authors, including Nivetha Anbalagan, Nivetha Subbaiah, Manisha Saravanan, Manisha Akash, Manisha Subramanian, Mohana Ravi, Kala Murugan and Thamarai Panneer…among others. https://t.co/gbnhudGwdb
— Thinakaran Rajamani (@thinak_) November 10, 2026
Rajmohan said that books were manufactured under invented identities, with names such as Thamarai Murali, Thamarai Ravi, Thamarai Panneer, Kamalambal Karunanidhi, Pavithra Karunanidhi, Trisha Vijay, Nivetha Anbalagan, Manisha Saravanan, Mohana Ravi, and Kala Murugan, among others, appearing as authors. It was said that artificial intelligence was used to combine material from different authors into new volumes.
A book titled Democracy and People’s Right in the Contemporary World, found at the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai, falsely attributed authorship to Jean Drèze, a member of the National Advisory Council (NAC) during the UPA era.
Works falsely attributed to the celebrated Tamil poet and freedom fighter Subramania Bharati were also found in public libraries, while writer M. Sakthi stated that 42 fake books had been published under his name. In addition, books were purchased at exorbitant rates; for instance, a 300-page book titled Naladiyar: Vaazhvin Vazhikaati was priced at ₹1,445, and some 300-page volumes were priced at more than ₹1,400.
The procurement timeline
Rajmohan presented a chronology to establish that the transactions occurred during the previous DMK government‘s tenure: On 5 November 2025, A government order constituted a committee to recommend books for libraries, including Periyar Arivulagam. Committee meetings were held in November–December 2025 & January 2026; the committee has 137 members, and 112 attended the January meeting.
A final selection meeting was held at Anna Centenary Library on 9 January, 2026. After that, a purchase order for 60,266 books was issued on 2 February, 2026. An order sought delivery of books from Agal Vilakku within seven days. In March 2026, proceedings authorised the release of treasury funds, and payments were released to the publisher.
Political turmoil
The scam has triggered a political confrontation between the ruling TVK government and the principal opposition DMK. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay said that the previous DMK government was corrupt in the purchase of books, calling the DMK the “fountainhead of corruption”. Minister Rajmohan termed it “India’s first AI scam” and said that the entire transaction took place during DMK rule.
The DMK denied and filed its own complaint with the DVAC, demanding a probe into which officers issued the procurement orders and whether the books were selected title-by-title or in bulk. The party accused the Vijay government of trying to take credit for a project built under its rule.
Agal Vilakku owner Mohan stated that his publishing house supplied books to the library during February and March and that the new TVK government did not procure books from him after coming to power.
Current Status
As of 11 November, 2026, the DVAC has launched a detailed enquiry and inspected records at the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai and Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore. The investigation will examine the procurement process, pricing, payments, publishers, and diversion of public funds. The Court has mandated that an FIR be registered immediately, and disciplinary action against officials is underway.
