New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has taken suo motu cognisance of the proposed relocation of the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library (CSL) in New Delhi.
A bench on Monday comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva issued a notice seeking a detailed affidavit from the Centre within three weeks. The affidavit must outline the exact layout plans and the specific area allocated for housing the historic library.
The historic library, which houses over 8.5 lakh books (including rare volumes, government reports, and historical gazetteers), was ordered by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to completely vacate its 5,500 sq. m. space in the Shastri Bhawan complex. This eviction was ordered to make way for demolitions under the Central Vista redevelopment project.
The Supreme Court registered the case as “In Re: 135-Yr-Old Library 8.5 Lakh Books– And No Room In The New Central Vista Plan”. The court expressed serious concern over the preservation and accessibility of the massive archive. It cited past precedents, noting that nearly two lakh books from a separate collection have remained locked away unopened in cartons in RK Puram since 2011. [1, 2, 3]
The apex court has appointed Senior Advocate Hari Priya Padmanabhan to assist it as an amicus curiae in reviewing the matter.
