Supreme Court Takes Suo Motu Cognisance of Relocation of 135-Year-Old Library in Delhi
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the proposed relocation of Delhi’s 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library (CSL), which houses more than 8.5 lakh books.
A bench of Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva is scheduled to hear the matter on October 5. The suo motu case, titled “In Re: 135-Yr-Old Library 8.5 Lakh Books– And No Room In The New Central Vista Plan”, was registered on October 3.
Library Faces Relocation Amid Central Vista Redevelopment
The CSL is currently housed in Shastri Bhawan, which is slated for demolition as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project. Concerns have been raised over the availability of suitable accommodation for the library and the preservation of its extensive collection.
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has said that space for the CSL has been earmarked under the Kartavya Path redevelopment plan.
The library, which functions under the Union Ministry of Culture, was established as the Imperial Secretariat Library in Calcutta in 1891. It was moved to Delhi after the capital shifted in 1911 and has been housed at Shastri Bhawan since 1969.
- The CSL is the second-largest Central government library after the National Library in Kolkata.
- It occupies around 5,500 square metres across four floors.
- Its collection includes rare books, government publications, official records and gazetteers.
- The Culture Ministry had initially sought around 5,466 square metres for the library in the redeveloped Central Secretariat.
Dispute Over Space Allotted For Library
Concerns over the library’s future grew after the Directorate of Estates under MoHUA proposed allotting two rooms, measuring around 300 square metres, at Kartavya Bhawan-2.
The Culture Ministry subsequently informed MoHUA in February that the proposed space was inadequate to house the library’s complete collection and facilities. It also said that complete relocation to the allotted space was not feasible. The Supreme Court will hear the matter on October 5.
