Jean Drèze says Madurai library book under his name is fake; inquiry begins

The economist Jean Drèze says he never wrote a book that carries his name and was bought for the Kalaignar Centenary Library in Madurai. He has asked the Tamil Nadu government to act. The government has told its anti-corruption wing to find out how public libraries came to buy such books.

The book is called Democracy and Peoples Right in the Contemporary World. Mr. Drèze told The Hindu by email on 9 November that he had not written it. Any such book with his name on it must be fake, he said. He asked the State to act firmly, above all if the book was made with artificial intelligence. Two research scholars said the book was bought for the Madurai library on 25 June 2023.

The government’s response

School Education Minister Rajmohan said the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption had begun an inquiry into books bought from Akal Vilakku Publications. He said pending orders for books, including some meant for the Kamarajar Library in Tiruchi, would be cancelled, and doubtful titles removed from public libraries across the State.

The minister said similar books had reached Chennai’s Connemara Library and libraries in Tiruchi, Salem, Cuddalore and Tirunelveli, and that influential people were behind the purchases. The purchases were made when the previous DMK government was in office. The publisher’s response was not available, and the DMK had not commented on the minister’s claims when this story was published.

How it came to light

The Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who served on the library’s committee that recommends books, first wrote about serious errors he had found in several titles.

What’s next

The vigilance inquiry will examine the purchase orders. No date has been set for its report.