The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to spell out its move to relocate the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library (CSL) in Delhi, which houses over 8.5 lakh books, amid reports that no space has been allocated for it in the new Central Vista Plan.Issuing notice to the Centre, a Bench of Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva asked it to file an affidavit giving full details of the space to be allotted for the CSL along with the actual layout plan.The affidavit should also indicate if the space would be adequate to house not just the books presently in the CSL in Shastri Bhavan but also the two lakh books lying in cartons in RK Puram, it said.At the outset, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati submitted on behalf of the Centre that the Central Vista Plan had space allocated for the CSL.“If we go by the news report, this library dates back to 1891. Very well to say that we should cut down on paper but that doesn’t mean you don’t take care of the valuable papers. You are allotting only two rooms in the Kartavya Bhavan, that’s it?” the Bench remarked.As ASG Bhati said the Central Vista Director was present in the court to explain the details, the Bench said an affidavit would be necessary. “You are leaving out two lakh books in RK Puram?” it asked.The top court appointed senior counsel Haripriya Padmanabhan as Amicus Curiae to assist it in the case.The controversy surrounding the proposed relocation of the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library (CSL) with 8.5 lakh books in the national capital faces judicial scrutiny with the Supreme Court on October 3 taking suo motu cognisance of a news report on it.The Supreme Court’s decision to examine the issue came amid reports that no space has been allocated for the CSL—a little-known but historically significant repository of India’s administrative records and rare books—in the new Central Vista Plan.Certain media reports highlighted that the library, currently spread over four floors in Shastri Bhawan since 1969, was facing uncertainty as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) allotted only two rooms in the Kartavya Bhawan-2 complex.However, the MoHUA has already clarified that the CSL has been provided space in the Kartavya Path redevelopment plan.“Contrary to a few reports, it is clarified that space for the Central Secretariat Library has been provided for in the Kartavya Path redevelopment plan,” the ministry said, adding, the necessary process for construction of the library was underway.The clarification is significant for the CSL, whose collection includes thousands of rare books and historical government records dating back over a century. Established in 1891 as the Imperial Library, the institution became the Central Secretariat Library in March 1948 and was shifted from Kolkata to Delhi in 1969.The library’s collection includes about 5,500 rare books, and in total has over eight lakh books. besides settlement reports, civil reports, Acts of Parliament, census reports, annual reports and government gazettes. Its gazette collection dates back to 1922, providing a record of government decisions and proclamations across decades. The last physical copy dates to 2015, after which the gazettes have been published in digital form.The collection also has significance beyond its role as a government library. Settlement reports provide material on the evolution of geographical boundaries, while civil reports document the functioning and careers of administrators. Census reports, including data categorised by gender, caste and age, are an important source for demographic and social research.Among the library’s rare holdings is a 1702 French work, Recueil des Voyages qui ont servi à L’établissement et aux progrès de la Compagnie des Indes Orientales, considered its oldest book. The collection also includes Select Specimens of the Theatre of the Hindus by Horace Hayman Wilson, published in 1871; History of The Indian Administration of Lord Ellenborough, published in 1874; Wilson’s Works by the late Horace Hayman Wilson, published in 1862; and Henry Beveridge’s A Comprehensive History of India, Civil, Military, and Social, published in 1872.The CSL has traditionally served researchers, scholars and UPSC aspirants, apart from government officials. Its holdings have also been used in court proceedings, particularly the government gazettes.The library has been undergoing digitisation, with its collection being made available through the Indian Culture Portal, managed by IIT-Bombay. However, digitisation has not replaced the need to preserve the original physical material, particularly rare books and historical documents.With the ministry now stating that dedicated space has been incorporated into the redevelopment plan, the immediate concern is no longer whether the library will have a place after the redevelopment, but how its rare and fragile collection will be preserved and transferred during the transition.