Nearly 50,000 books supplied by Agalvilakku and Phoenix Publications, two publishers facing scrutiny over allegations of supplying AI-generated books containing fabricated information to government libraries, have been withheld at district central libraries across Tamil Nadu.
According to a report by The New Indian Express, the books were originally meant to be distributed to branch libraries but have now been held back following allegations of irregularities in their content and procurement.
A senior School Education Department official confirmed that all district central libraries had received the books. District-level officials estimated that approximately 1,500 books had been supplied to each district, bringing the statewide total to nearly 50,000.
The estimate does not include books purchased for six newly established district libraries and five special libraries under a government order issued in November 2025.
District librarians have reportedly begun separating the books and packing them into boxes.
At the Salem District Central Library, 1,121 books were received from Agalvilakku Publications and 360 from Phoenix Publications. In Madurai, the respective figures were 998 and 530, while Chengalpattu received approximately 1,600 books from the two publishers combined.
According to library officials, the department conducted two rounds of book procurement after introducing its transparent procurement portal, the first in April 2025 and the second in February 2026.
Sources indicated that books from the two publishers were not purchased in significant quantities during the first round.
Tamil Nadu Noolaga Munnetra Sangam representative Durai Thiayagaran said libraries had been instructed to select books for the second procurement round in February 2026 even before the books chosen during the earlier round had reached branch libraries.
He said his library had completed its selection on February 15, but the books procured in the second round had still not been distributed to branch libraries. The consignment currently lying at district libraries included the titles suspected of containing AI-generated material, he added.
Meanwhile, the School Education Department has yet to determine the actual amount spent on these books. Sources explained that government libraries generally purchase books at discounts of approximately 30% on their maximum retail price, meaning the combined MRP would not accurately represent the expenditure incurred.
A district librarian also called for an investigation into whether publishers had complied with the prescribed per-page pricing norms for different categories of books under the transparent procurement policy.
The controversy has also drawn a response from the Booksellers and Publishers Association of South India (BAPASI).
On Thursday, the association condemned unethical publishing practices and clarified that the publishers facing investigation had never been its members.
BAPASI president R.S. Shanmugam said the association maintained strict membership requirements to ensure that only legitimate and responsible publishers were admitted.
Meanwhile, PMK president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss demanded that the Tamil Nadu government publish a White Paper detailing the alleged irregularities in the library book procurement process.
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