The Madras High Court has ordered an investigation into allegations that a newly opened public library in Tamil Nadu, India, bought hundreds of books suspected of being generated using artificial intelligence. The state's School Education Minister described the allegations as potentially India's first AI scam. The controversy, centred on the 3-billion-rupee ($34m) Periyar Arivulagam library, has prompted a political row between the state government and the previous DMK administration.
The court directed the state's anti-corruption agency to investigate the purchases and freeze bank accounts linked to a publisher accused of supplying the books. The allegations were first raised by Tamil novelist Perumal Murugan, who alleged that nearly 1,800 books in the library's Tamil section had been supplied by Agal Vilakku Pathippagam. He said many carried unfamiliar authors' names, unusually high prices and questionable ISBNs.
The Periyar Arivulagam library, named after the social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy, was inaugurated by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on 16 October. The controversy has raised wider questions about the publishing industry as AI tools can generate entire books quickly and cheaply, but also produce false information and invented references.
One disputed book was reportedly priced at 1,445 rupees for 300 pages and describes Naladiyar as a poet and philosopher, though Naladiyar is a classical Tamil work consisting of 400 four-line verses. Another book reportedly misattributes the ancient poem Madurai Kanchi. A book found at another public library in Madurai named the renowned economist Jean Drèze as its author; Drèze told The Hindu that he had not written it. BBC Tamil found no signs identifying either publisher at the listed address. The proprietor of Agal Vilakku, Mohan, declined to comment.
School Education Minister A Rajmohan accused the previous DMK government of ordering the disputed books and said the investigation would cover purchases at other public libraries across the state. More than 160 writers, researchers, artists and publishers have signed a joint statement calling for an independent inquiry and the release of procurement records. The DMK has rejected the allegations as politically motivated.
Rajmohan stated that 523 books had already been pulled from the Connemara Public Library in Chennai after preliminary checks raised concerns about their authenticity and quality, and disputed books have been removed from Periyar Arivulagam. The state has ordered an internal audit of public library collections.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Public Trust and Oversight: The scandal severely undermines confidence in the curation of public resources and the procurement processes within government institutions.
- Waste of Taxpayer Money: The library cost $34m to build, and its collection has been infiltrated by fabricated, potentially worthless books, raising serious questions about due diligence and financial management.
- AI Verification Precedent: The case highlights a major new challenge in verifying AI-generated content in publishing and government procurement, potentially setting a legal and regulatory precedent for how such fraud is handled globally.
Background
The Periyar Arivulagam library in Coimbatore opened in October 2026. Shortly after, prominent Tamil novelist Perumal Murugan publicly raised concerns about books supplied by a little-known publisher. The matter quickly escalated into a political dispute between the current state government and the previous DMK-led administration. The Madras High Court intervened, ordering the state's anti-corruption agency to investigate the purchases and freeze bank accounts linked to the accused publisher.
Key Perspectives
- Tamil writer Perumal Murugan: Raised the initial alarm about nearly 1,800 books in the library's Tamil section supplied by a little-known publisher, citing false information, questionable authors, and suspiciously high prices.
- Madras High Court: Ordered an investigation by the state's anti-corruption agency and froze bank accounts linked to the publisher Agal Vilakku Pathippagam.
- School Education Minister A. Rajmohan (State Government): Called the case a potential 'AI scam', blamed the previous DMK administration, and warned that the investigation would cover all public libraries in the state to check for similar fraud.
- The DMK (Previous Administration): Rejected the allegations as politically motivated and demanded its own independent investigation into the purchases.
- Writers, academics, and publishers: Over 160 signed a joint statement demanding an independent inquiry, the release of procurement records, and audits of library collections across Tamil Nadu.
What to Watch
- The findings of the anti-corruption agency's investigation and whether they confirm the use of AI.
- The results of the internal audit of library collections across Tamil Nadu for similar disputed books.
- The legal and political fallout, including the fate of the frozen bank accounts and the recovery of public funds.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
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- SupportedThe Madras High Court ordered a probe into allegations about AI-generated books.BBC News: “An Indian court has ordered an investigation into allegations that a public library in the southern state of Tamil Nadu bought hundreds of books suspected of being generated using AI.”
- Partly supportedPerumal Murugan raised concerns over nearly 1,800 books at the library.BBC News: “he alleged that nearly 1,800 books in its Tamil section had been supplied by a little-known publisher called Agal Vilakku Pathippagam.”
- SupportedThe library cost $34 million.BBC News: “built at a cost of about 3bn rupees ($34m; £26m).”
- SupportedThe library bought hundreds of books suspected of being AI-generated.BBC News: “a public library in the southern state of Tamil Nadu bought hundreds of books suspected of being generated using AI.”
- SupportedSchool Education Minister A Rajmohan described the allegations as potentially India’s first AI scam.BBC News: “Tamil Nadu's School Education Minister A Rajmohan has described the allegations as potentially "India's first AI scam"”
- SupportedThe court ordered the state anti-corruption agency to investigate the purchases and freeze bank accounts linked to the accused publisher.BBC News: “The Madras High Court has ordered the state's anti-corruption agency to investigate the purchases and freeze bank accounts linked to a publisher accused of supplying the books.”
- SupportedThe controversy prompted a political row between the state government and the previous DMK administration.BBC News: “The controversy also sparked a political row in Tamil Nadu. Rajmohan accused the previous DMK government of ordering the disputed books”
- SupportedA book about Naladiyar was reportedly priced at 1,445 rupees for 300 pages.BBC News: “One book cited in the controversy, Naladiyar Vaazhvin Vazhikatti (A Guide to Life through Naladiyar), was reportedly priced at 1,445 rupees for 300 pages.”
- SupportedAnother book reportedly attributed the poem Madurai Kanchi to the wrong author.BBC News: “Another book reportedly attributes the ancient Tamil poem Madurai Kanchi to an incorrect author.”
- SupportedJean Drèze told The Hindu he had not written a book found at another public library in Madurai that named him as its author.BBC News: “Drèze did not respond to BBC Tamil's request for comment but told The Hindu newspaper earlier this week that he had not written the book”
- SupportedMore than 160 writers, researchers, artists and publishers signed a statement calling for an independent inquiry and the release of procurement records.BBC News: “More than 160 writers, researchers, artists and publishers have signed a joint statement calling for an independent inquiry, the release of procurement records and an audit of library collections across Tamil Nadu.”
- SupportedRajmohan said 523 books had been removed from the Connemara Public Library after preliminary checks raised concerns about their authenticity and quality.BBC News: “Rajmohan said 523 books had already been removed from the historic Connemara Public Library in Chennai city after preliminary checks raised concerns about their authenticity and quality.”
