The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to file a detailed affidavit explaining the space proposed to be allotted to the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library (CSL) under the revamped Central Vista plan.
A Bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva was hearing a suo motu matter concerning the proposed relocation of the library, which houses nearly 8.5 lakh books and other valuable material.
The Court has specifically asked the Union Government to disclose the precise area earmarked for the library and place the corresponding layout plans on record. It further sought clarification on whether the proposed facility would have sufficient capacity to accommodate both the collection presently housed at Shastri Bhawan and nearly two lakh books currently lying packed in cartons at R.K. Puram.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati informed the Bench that provision had in fact been made for the library under the Central Vista plan.
Justice Sanjay Kumar, however, sought greater clarity on the extent of the proposed accommodation, referring to concerns that had earlier been raised regarding the library’s relocation.
The Court emphasised that a mere assertion that space had been provided would not suffice and directed the Centre to place comprehensive details before it.
The Bench ordered the Union Government to furnish particulars of the area proposed for the CSL along with the actual architectural layout, while specifically requiring it to state whether the facility would be capable of housing the entire collection, including the books presently stored at R.K. Puram.
The Court has also appointed Senior Advocate Haripriya Padmanabhan as amicus curiae to assist it in examining the matter.
The proceedings stem from the Supreme Court’s suo motu cognisance of concerns surrounding the future of the library amid the Central Vista redevelopment. The case, registered as In Re: 135-Yr-Old Library 8.5 Lakh Books–And No Room In The New Central Vista Plan, was instituted on October 3.
The matter gained judicial attention following a report highlighting uncertainty over the library’s relocation from Shastri Bhawan, which is slated for redevelopment. The library, established in 1891, has accumulated a vast collection over more than a century and currently serves as an important repository of government publications and other books and documents.
Earlier reports had raised questions over the adequacy of the accommodation proposed under the Central Vista redevelopment. The Indian Express reported that the Directorate of Estates had allotted two rooms measuring around 300 square metres at Kartavya Bhawan-2, a proposal that was considered inadequate by the Ministry of Culture for relocating the library in its entirety.
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, meanwhile, has maintained that the Central Secretariat Library has not been left out of the redevelopment plans. The Ministry said that space for the library has been earmarked under the Kartavya Path redevelopment plan and that the process for construction of the new facility is underway.
The Supreme Court’s latest direction therefore shifts the focus to the adequacy and actual configuration of the proposed premises, particularly in view of the scale of the library’s existing holdings and the additional books currently in storage.
The case is now set to be considered after the Centre places the requested affidavit and plans before the Court.
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