Writers and publishers jointly issued a statement on Monday (Nov. 9) regarding the Periyar Arivulagam issue.
The joint statement released in this regard said:
We, as writers, publishers, and readers, express our condemnation and opposition through this joint statement to the inclusion of several fake books lacking authenticity and intellectual value in the Coimbatore Periyar Arivulagam, which has recently been opened for use.
Tamil Nadu is a pioneering state that regarded libraries as a vital means of spreading knowledge in society and enacted the Public Libraries Act in 1948, and established the Public Libraries Directorate in 1972. Under the Public Libraries Directorate of the Tamil Nadu government, 4,755 libraries are functioning across the state, including district central libraries, branch libraries, rural libraries, mobile libraries, part-time libraries, and special part-time libraries. While writers and publishers have been insisting that there should be no irregularities or malpractice in the purchase of books and e-books for these libraries, the "Transparent Book Procurement Policy 2024" was issued. Since then, a government order has been issued on November 05, 2025, for the purchase of books and e-books for special libraries, including the Coimbatore Periyar Arivulagam, and for the central libraries of the six newly created districts, in accordance with this policy, which is currently in effect.
Under this government order, a panel of 137 experts, including writers, critics, academics, and readers, has been formed to recommend fiction and general books. From the thousands of books recommended by this panel, a 13-member selection committee finalizes the list for purchase. To procure the books on the list finalized by the selection committee, a 5-member book price negotiation committee negotiates with the publishers who issued them and determines the price. A 5-member high-level review committee carefully examines the recommendations of these three committees and grants approval.
We had believed that books would be purchased only after such thorough scrutiny, but posts written on Facebook by writer Balasubramanian Ponraj on October 17, 2026, and by painter Sundaran Murugesan on October 24, 2026, along with an article written by writer Perumal Murugan in an online magazine on November 6, 2026, have revealed the shocking information that some of the books included in the Coimbatore Periyar intellectual collection are fake. According to this, it has been initially found that 1,800 to 2,000 books purchased from the publisher called 'Agal Vilakku' and from another publisher called Phoenix Publication, which operates at the same address as that publisher, are fake. These two publishers have gathered multidisciplinary data available across the internet and published them, with errors and distortions, under the names of fake authors. Moreover, the price given for these fake books is many times higher than what is usually charged for books of this kind.
Because of this malpractice, which has brought in fake authors, the books of genuine authors and researchers have been ignored. Moreover, this is also a harm akin to erasing their contributions and removing them from public view. The right of readers, competitive exam aspirants, and future generations to learn the truth has been taken away by the false information abundant in these fake books. By purchasing thousands of fake books, publishing houses that work with dedication in the publishing industry and their employees have been deceived.
Following this, there are reports that fake books from these publishers have also found their way into various other libraries in the state. Likewise, there are reports that there are several other publishers as well, and that the authenticity of the English books is also questionable. In this situation, we request the Public Libraries Directorate and the Tamil Nadu government to come forward to protect knowledge-based libraries and ensure that only appropriate books are kept within libraries.
For this reason, this irregularity that has taken place in the library department should not be dismissed as an ordinary financial embezzlement, but should be treated and punished as an anti-national act that cripples the intellectual activity of the Tamil community. Accordingly, an inquiry commission should be set up immediately under the supervision of the Madras High Court to investigate this irregularity.
The details of those who recommended, selected, and released funds for the fake books published by Agalvilakku and Phoenix Publication to the Coimbatore Periyar intellectual circle should be made public, and legal action should be taken against them. The true information about the period during which this fraud was carried out should be disclosed.
Legal action should be taken against Agal Vilakku, Phoenix, and any other similar publishers that have betrayed the trust of the intellectual community and the government by publishing fake books. The amount fraudulently obtained from the government should be recovered appropriately.
All fake books from these publishers should be identified and removed from libraries, and they should be confiscated so that they cannot be sold anywhere else.
Neutral expert committees should be formed to inspect all libraries across the state within a specified time frame and submit a report.
"The Transparent Book Procurement Policy 2024" should be strengthened with the necessary amendments to prevent any kind of malpractice from occurring in the library department in the future.
The joint report states that the finalized list should be sent to the members of the book recommendation committee so that they can reconfirm whether the books have been purchased only from the list they recommended.