The government has three weeks to detail the future of the Central Secretariat Library, which holds more than 850,000 books.
India’s Supreme Court has sought a detailed response from the Union government on the proposed relocation of Delhi’s Central Secretariat Library. Founded in 1891, it holds more than 850,000 books, including rare volumes, official records and gazetteers.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva directed Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati to file an affidavit within three weeks setting out arrangements for the library under the Central Vista redevelopment project. The judges questioned whether two rooms in Kartavya Bhavan would be adequate and noted that the collection includes writings dating to 1802.
The intervention followed reports that the library, now in Shastri Bhawan, was told on September 17 to vacate by September 30. The report does not say whether it has moved. The library occupies four floors and nearly 5,500 square metres and is used by officials and students preparing for competitive examinations.
Established in Calcutta in 1891 as the Imperial Secretariat Library, it moved to Delhi after the 1911 decision to shift the capital of British India. It was housed at the Old Secretariat in Civil Lines, later moved to North Block and has remained in Shastri Bhawan since 1969.