Election officials blocked the release of a book on the Rafale defence deal in Chennai on Tuesday, citing the model code of conduct in place since the general election schedule was announced last month.

But Satyabrata Sahoo, the Chief Electoral Officer of Tamil Nadu, said neither the Election Commission nor the CEO's office had "issued any instructions in this regard".

"I have directed DEO [District Election Officer), Chennai, to look into this matter and give a report immediately," Sahoo said.

The book was supposed to be released today by N Ram, a senior journalist who is the Chairman of The Hindu, and who has himself authored multiple news reports on the deal for French-made fighter jets.

The publisher of S Vijayan's "Rafale: The Scam That Rocked The Nation" had asked for permission to release the book at a school.

But the school said no, citing the Election Commission's objection.

Then, when the publisher, Bharati Publication, decided to organise the event in its office, poll officials came and seized the books. A flying squad of election officers and the Teynampet police confiscated 142 copies.

"It's totally unfair." - PK Rajan, Editor, Bharati Publication

The publishing house will now consult lawyers and go to court.

"It's totally unfair," said PK Rajan, an editor at Bharati Publication who described the book was a consolidation of information in the public domain.

N Ram, the chairman of The Hindu, said the ban was anti-democratic and illegal, and that it amounted to curbing the freedom of speech and of the press.

He said the book's release did not violate the model code of conduct.

The Congress party has long raised allegations of crony capitalism in the NDA government's Rafale deal

It has claimed that the NDA's deal -- for fewer jets overall but more planes in a flyaway condition -- is costlier than an UPA-era deal, now scrapped.

A second allegation: that Reliance Defence, one of the jetmaker's offset partners, was chosen under pressure from the Centre.