The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption to register an FIR into the alleged scam in the purchase of books for public libraries, and ordered that the bank accounts of the publishing firms said to be involved be frozen.
A division bench of Justices G R Swaminathan and M D Sumathi passed the order while hearing a contempt petition moved by V Ramasubbu, an advocate from Tirunelveli district, who said the authorities had not complied with directions issued in 2024. The bench also called for a list of officials answerable for purchases it has described as fraudulent; one report said the names were sought so that the officers could be impleaded as contemnors.
The matter traces back to 2019, when S Krishnan of Kanyakumari district filed a public interest litigation seeking action against irregular buying of books for the state's public libraries, standards in those libraries, and a transparent process with details uploaded on an official website. While disposing of that petition on June 19, 2024, a bench then comprising Justices R Mahadevan and G R Swaminathan ordered a dedicated website, a committee to inquire into the allegations, and a circular asking heads of educational institutions to add library visits to the school curriculum.
Newly appointed Public Libraries Director R V Shajeevana, who appeared through video conference after the court summoned her, told the bench that the anti-corruption agency had already taken note of the matter and would act effectively. The directions followed that submission, and the case was adjourned to November 11.
The court is reported to have said the government had "brazenly violated" the earlier order. The accounts differ on sequencing: one places that remark on Monday, with the operative directions coming on Tuesday, while the other records the directions themselves as passed on Tuesday.
Purchases for the public library network have been under scrutiny since the 2019 petition, which sought to open the process to public view. Under the 2024 directions, procurement details were to be placed online before purchase orders were finalised, and the contempt plea contends that the alleged scam grew out of the failure to implement those safeguards. No official or firm has been named in the court's directions so far, and no arrest has been reported.
The public libraries directorate is to place before the bench the names of officials held responsible for the purchases, while the anti-corruption agency has been asked to move against the accounts of the firms identified in the procurement. The case returns to the Madurai Bench on November 11.
(With inputs from media reports)