The Madras High Court has ordered an FIR and an investigation following the discovery of fake books attributed to John Dreze in public libraries across Tamil Nadu. Some books were also attributed to celebrated Tamil poet and freedom fighter Subramania Bharati, popularly known as Bharathiyar. Expressing concern over such books, the court said the practice infringed readers’ right to accurate information and said that Bharathiyar could only “turn in his grave”.Justices G R Swaminathan and M D Sumathi were hearing a contempt petition filed by Ramasubbu against the secretary to the higher education department and the director of public libraries over alleged non-compliance with its June 19, 2024 directions on book procurement. The bench has listed the matter for further hearing on November 11 at 2.15pm.“The plaintive cry of the economist can be heard by us. Bharathiyar is not as lucky. He can only turn in his grave. Works falsely attributed to him also adorn the racks of the public libraries in Tamil Nadu…Public libraries have been established to remedy information asymmetry. This is to achieve social justice, empower and educate. By stacking bogus books with false content and books by phantom authors, not only the statutory duty cast under the Tamil Nadu Public Libraries Act, 1948 is being breached, the right to receive accurate and quality information is also infringed,” the bench observed on November 10.The controversy surfaced after writer Perumal Murugan flagged alleged large-scale fraud in the procurement of books for Periyar Arivulagam in Coimbatore. The government cancelled the existing procurement orders, relieved then Director of Public Libraries of her responsibilities, and the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), Tamil Nadu initiated an enquiry. The court also referred to a book attributed to economist Jean Dreze, found in Madurai’s Kalaignar Centenary Library, which he denounced as fake, and works falsely attributed to celebrated Tamil poet Bharathiyar in public libraries.Bharathiyar turning in his graveThe bench referred to a book titled “Democracy and People’s Right in the Contemporary World”, found in the Kalaignar Centenary Library with Jean Dreze’s name as its author. The court recorded that Dreze had denounced it as fake. It also referred to works falsely attributed to Bharathiyar stating that he is not as lucky and can only “turn in his grave”, contrasting the poet’s inability to object with Dreze’s response. Justice G R Swaminathan and Justice M D Sumathi directed the DVAC to register an FIR and ordered action against officials allegedly involved in irregularities in public library book procurement. (Image enhanced using AI)The court said people visiting public libraries were entitled to presume that the books available on their shelves contained authentic information. Stocking bogus books with false content and fictitious authorship, it observed, violated the statutory obligations of the government and readers’ right to receive accurate information.Referring to Rule 18(4) of the Tamil Nadu Public Libraries Rules, 1950, the bench said books purchased for libraries must be of general interest and cultural value. It held that the requirement that books should be by standard authors and not of doubtful taste could also be extended to non-fiction.Story continues below this adThe court said first-time authors could be considered, provided the selection committee examined their books and was satisfied about their suitability. “A book with dubious content and false narratives is certainly one with doubtful taste. AI-generated and plagiarised works also would fall within this ambit,” the bench observed.Earlier directions on procurementThe contempt petition arose from a June 19, 2024 judgment in a separate petition filed in 2019 by a Nagercoil resident. The court had then highlighted allegations that old literary works were being republished under different titles and authors’ names to obtain fresh government purchase orders. It had also noted alleged violations of a condition prohibiting repurchase of a book within five years.Describing the alleged practice as “nothing short of a scam”, the court had directed the government to maintain a dedicated procurement website, notify publishers about proposed purchases, publish shortlisted books and allow a month for objections.It had also ordered an enquiry committee to submit a comprehensive report within five months and an action-taken report within six months thereafter. The bench hearing the case now said that had these directions been followed, procurement would not have taken place from what it described as dubious entities, including Agal Vilakku, Sigma and Phoenix publishers.Story continues below this adDuring the hearing, the Additional Advocate General B Saravanan submitted that the government and DVAC were examining the matter. However, the bench questioned why no FIR had been registered despite the ongoing enquiry.When asked whether he would deny that a crime had been committed, the public prosecutor answered in the negative, according to the order. “Crores of rupees has gone out of the public exchequer,” the bench observed, adding that such a crime could not have occurred without the active involvement of government servants.The court directed the DVAC to register an FIR forthwith against unknown public servants, observing that provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Corruption Act were attracted. It also ordered the freezing of bank accounts belonging to Agal Vilakku Publication, its proprietor Thiru Mohan and others involved. The government was directed to initiate disciplinary action, including suspension of officials involved in the alleged irregularities.The director of public libraries was asked to identify officials responsible for fraudulent procurement during the preceding two years and more, so they could be impleaded in the contempt proceedings. Librarians were directed to prepare an inventory of suspect books and make them unavailable to readers. The court also sought details of the total expenditure and an affidavit from the Director explaining the sequence of events and identifying those involved.