Supreme Court seeks response from Centre on proposed relocation of 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library

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Spread over four floors and nearly 5,500 sq. m. of Shastri Bhawan, the Central Secretariat Library houses more than 8.5 lakh books. File | Photo Credit: PTI

The Supreme Court on Monday (October 5, 2026) sought a detailed response from the Union government on the proposed relocation of the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library in Delhi, which houses over 8.5 lakh books, as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project.

A Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva directed Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Union government, to file a detailed affidavit within three weeks setting out the arrangements made for the library.

“It is a library that dates back to 1891, with writings from 1802. It is very well to say that we cut down on paper, but that does not mean we cut down on valuable paper. You are allotting two rooms in Kartavya Bhavan, that’s it?” the Bench remarked.

The court’s suo motu intervention comes amid reports that the library, currently housed in the Shastri Bhawan complex, was directed on September 17 to vacate the premises by September 30 as part of the redevelopment project.

Spread over four floors and nearly 5,500 sq. m. of Shastri Bhawan, the Central Secretariat Library houses more than 8.5 lakh books, including rare volumes, official records and gazetteers, which are regularly accessed by government officials, and students preparing for competitive examinations.

Established in 1891, the library was originally situated in what was then Calcutta, and was known as the Imperial Secretariat Library. Following the decision in 1911 to shift the capital of British India to Delhi, the library was moved to the Old Secretariat Building in Civil Lines. It was later shifted to North Block, and subsequently to Shastri Bhawan, where it has remained since 1969.

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