{
  "id": 14812864,
  "title": "SC to hear suo motu case over relocation of 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/15/sc-to-hear-suo-motu-case-over-relocation-of-135-year-old-central",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-15T23:07:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-to-hear-suo-motu-case-over-relocation-of-135-year-old-central-secretariat-library/article71543501.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Supreme Court of India has taken it upon itself to hear a case regarding the relocation of a 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library. The library, housed in the Shastri Bhawan complex, has been ordered by the Central Public Works Department to vacate its premises by September 30 as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project. This move comes amid reports that the library, which has not been allocated space in the Central Vista redevelopment plan, has been directed to vacate its premises. The Central Secretariat Library, which spans across four floors and covers nearly 5,500 sq. m. of the Shastri Bhawan, houses over 8.5 lakh books, including rare volumes, official records, and gazetteers. Established in 1891, the library was originally situated in Calcutta and was known as the Imperial Secretariat Library. Following the decision to shift the capital of British India to Delhi in 1911, the library was moved to the Old Secretariat Building in Civil Lines and later to North Block. It was later shifted to Shastri Bhawan where it has remained since 1969. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs responded to the reports, clarifying that space for the Central Secretariat Library had been provided for in the Kartavya Path redevelopment plan, and construction is underway. The matter will be heard by a Bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva on October 5, 2026.",
  "summary": "The court’s intervention comes amid reports that the library, housed in the Shastri Bhawan complex, was directed on September 17 to vacate the premises as part of the Central Vista redevelopment project",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}