Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of the proposed relocation of the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library
4 October 2026
The Supreme Court has taken suo motu cognisance of concerns over the fate and relocation of the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library (CSL) in New Delhi.
The library is housed in Shastri Bhawan, which is slated for demolition under the Central Vista redevelopment project.
The matter is listed for hearing on October 5, 2026 before a bench of Justices P. V. Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva.
CSL functions under the Union Ministry of Culture, was set up in 1891 as the Imperial Secretariat Library in Calcutta, and has been at Shastri Bhawan since 1969; it holds more than 8.5 lakh volumes.
The Directorate of Estates proposed about 300 square metres at Kartavya Bhawan-2, while the Culture Ministry had sought about 5,466 square metres.
In plain words
Suo motu Suo motu — Latin for 'on its own motion'; a court acting without a petition being filed.
Central Vista Central Vista redevelopment — The project redeveloping the central government's administrative area in New Delhi.