Chennai, 20 December (H.S.) : Member of Parliament from Madurai, Su Venkatesan, has written a formal letter to the Union Minister for Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, expressing deep concern over the Ministry of Culture's alleged interference in the selection process for the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2025.
Venkatesan, who is a Sahitya Akademi awardee himself, criticized the ministry's reported decision to withhold the recommendations of the National Executive Council and subject the jury's choices to an administrative audit. He described this move as unprecedented and a direct threat to the institutional autonomy of one of India's premier cultural organizations.
In his communication, the MP highlighted that the Sahitya Akademi has historically functioned with intellectual independence, where literary judgments are made by expert juries and peer groups. He argued that treating literary evaluation as a financial or procedural transaction by subjecting it to bureaucratic scrutiny undermines the credibility of the awards.
Venkatesan pointed out that at no point in the history of the Akademi have such expert decisions been subjected to executive review. He warned that this intervention sets a dangerous precedent, potentially reducing independent cultural bodies to mere instruments of administrative control and executive oversight.
The Madurai MP further expressed disappointment over the silence of the Sahitya Akademi regarding this intervention, stating that it contradicts the distinguished legacy of the institution.
He urged the Union Ministry to immediately withdraw the audit and allow the Akademi to announce the winners for the year 2025 following its established democratic procedures.
Authorities and literary experts have noted that any deviation from the traditional process could cause lasting damage to India's literary traditions and the standing of the Sahitya Akademi in the global literary world.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary
