SC takes suo motu cognisance of 135-yr-old Central Secretariat Library space crunch

The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library (CSL), which has no space in the new Central Vista plan despite being the second-largest library in the country, with about 850,000 books.

The matter will be heard on Monday by a bench of justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva. While it is not clear whether the suo motu cognisance was taken based on a news report or a letter, the note from the Registry listing the matter states, “The competent authority (Chief Justice of India) has been pleased to direct the registration of a fresh suo moto writ petition.”

The library, which operates from the Shastri Bhawan complex housing government offices, was issued an order on September 17 to vacate the premises by September 30 as part of the redevelopment plan. The CSL wrote to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) seeking alternate space, but this has not materialised.

The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) issued the September 17 order directing the CSL, along with other ministries functioning from Shastri Bhawan, to remove all furniture, electronic equipment and other accessories to ensure vacant possession for demolition and reconstruction work.

The plight faced by the CSL was recently highlighted in a news report that showed how the library, established in 1891, currently has no space in the new Central Vista project. The library occupies four floors of the Shastri Bhawan complex, covering about 5,500 square metres.

The library is the second-largest in the country after the National Library in Kolkata and contains a collection of some of the oldest books, gazetteers and official records, which are regularly accessed by government officials and students preparing for competitive examinations.

The library was originally situated in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) and was known as the Imperial Secretariat Library. In 1911, King George V announced the decision to shift the Crown in India to Delhi, and the library was moved to Delhi. It was then located at the Old Secretariat Building in Civil Lines. Later, when the new complex at Raisina Hill was built, the library was shifted to the North Block and then to Shastri Bhawan, where it has remained since 1969.

The MoHUA, while responding to certain news reports suggesting that there was no space for the CSL, clarified in a post on ‘X’: “Contrary to a few reports, it is clarified that space for the Central Secretariat Library has been provided for in the Kartavya Path redevelopment plan. The necessary process for construction of the library is underway.” The details of the library’s new address were not disclosed in the post.