New Delhi [India], October 5 : The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Centre and sought a detailed affidavit on the proposed relocation of the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library (CSL), which currently operates from Shastri Bhawan in the national capital and houses more than 8.5 lakh books and other documents.
A bench of Justices PV Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva directed the Centre to file the affidavit within three weeks, setting out complete details of the space proposed to be allotted to the library, along with its actual layout plan.
The bench also sought clarification on whether the proposed premises would be sufficient to accommodate not only the books currently housed at Shastri Bhawan but also the collection kept at the library's facility in RK Puram.
"Issue notice returnable in three weeks. Learned Additional Solicitor General appearing for the Union of India accepts notice. A detailed affidavit shall be filed indicating the proposed plan. It shall set out the full details of the area that will be allotted for housing the library, along with the actual layout plan," the bench said.
The court also requested senior advocate Hari Priya Padmanabhan to assist it as amicus curiae in the matter.
The Supreme Court initiated suo motu proceedings concerning the proposed relocation of the CSL from Shastri Bhawan, which is slated for demolition as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project.
During the hearing, the bench took note of concerns raised by retired judges regarding the proposed relocation and particularly flagged the library's collection kept at its RK Puram facility.
"You (Central government) are leaving out two lakh books in RK Puram obviously. You will have to file a proper affidavit," the bench observed.
At the outset, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that space for the Central Secretariat Library had been earmarked under the Central Vista redevelopment plan.
However, Justice PV Sanjay Kumar expressed concern over the proposed accommodation, observing that the library's long history and its extensive collection required proper preservation. The bench also questioned whether the proposed plan to accommodate the library in two rooms at Kartavya Bhavan would be adequate.
The Central Secretariat Library, functioning under the Union Ministry of Culture, traces its origins to 1891, when it was established as the Imperial Secretariat Library in Calcutta. Following the transfer of the national capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, the library was shifted to Delhi and has been housed at Shastri Bhawan since 1969.
The library is considered the second-largest Central government library after the National Library in Kolkata. It currently occupies around 5,500 square metres spread across four floors and has a collection of more than 8.5 lakh volumes.
Its collection includes rare books, government publications, official records, gazetteers and other material of historical and administrative importance.
The proposed relocation is linked to the redevelopment of the Central Vista area, under which Shastri Bhawan is among the government buildings slated for demolition.
As per the details placed before the authorities, the Ministry of Culture had initially sought around 5,466 square metres of space for the library in the redeveloped Central Secretariat.
However, concerns arose after the Directorate of Estates under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs proposed allotting two rooms measuring around 300 square metres at Kartavya Bhawan-2 for the library.
The Culture Ministry subsequently informed the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry in February that the proposed space was inadequate to accommodate the library's complete collection and associated facilities, and that relocating the entire library to the allotted space was not feasible.
The Supreme Court's direction on Monday seeks to bring clarity on the Centre's relocation plan, including the precise space available and whether the proposed premises can accommodate the library's extensive collection currently distributed between Shastri Bhawan and RK Puram.