# Madras HC orders DVAC to file FIR in library book scam 2026-11-10T11:21:43+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 6 independent outlets The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday, 10 November, directed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to register an FIR and freeze the bank accounts of fraudulent publishers in the alleged scam involving procurement of books for Tamil Nadu public libraries. A division bench of Justice G R Swaminathan and Justice M D Sumathi passed the order on a contempt petition by advocate V Ramasubbu over non-compliance with a 2024 court directive. The scam came to light after writer Perumal Murugan flagged irregularities in books stocked at the Periyar Arivulagam library in Coimbatore. The School Education Minister A Rajmohan accused the previous DMK regime of manipulating procurement to benefit unknown entities like Agal Vilakku Pathippagam, bypassing established publishers. Around 3,000 books were removed in Coimbatore and 523 problematic books identified at the Connemara Public Library. Justice Swaminathan said the practices amounted to 'blatant disobedience' and that 'heads must roll.' The court directed the director of public libraries to submit a list of responsible officials by Wednesday, 11 November. Additional Advocate General B Saravanan told the court all details would be placed within 24 hours. The matter has been posted for further hearing on Wednesday. Update, 10 November 2026: Times Now reports the court ordered immediate freezing of Agal Vilakku Publishing House's bank account. The News Minute and Live Law add that Justice Swaminathan called the practices 'blatant disobedience' and said 'heads must roll.' The Hindu Business Line reports that School Education Minister A Rajmohan accused the previous DMK regime of manipulation and that around 3,000 books were removed in Coimbatore. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Coverage is uniform straight reporting across all six outlets, with no discernible slant. Every source leads with the court's direction to the DVAC and the freezing of accounts, though Times Now names Agal Vilakku specifically while The Hindu Business Line includes the minister's political allegations against the DMK. The News Minute and Live Law both quote Justice Swaminathan's sharp remarks about 'blatant disobedience' and 'heads must roll.' The differences are in selection of detail rather than framing. The court has posted the matter for Wednesday, 11 November, when the list of responsible officials is due. ## Coverage Coverage: 6 sources, 6 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Straight reporting of court order and background. - dtnext.in (neutral report) Focus on DVAC inquiry at Periyar Arivulagam. - thenewsminute.com (neutral report) Details judge's remarks and timeline of compliance. - livelaw.in (neutral report) Highlights AI-generated books and earlier court order. - thehindubusinessline.com (neutral report) Includes minister's allegations and political row. - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Names Agal Vilakku and freezing of account. This brief was synthesised by AI from the 6 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Coimbatore, DVAC, Madras High Court, Periyar Arivulagam, Perumal Murugan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/madras-hc-orders-dvac-to-register-fir-in-books-procurement-scam/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/madras-hc-orders-dvac-to-register-fir-in-books-procurement-scam/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/