Public libraries are custodians of a nation's knowledge heritage. Evaluate the state of public library infrastructure in India and the role of the State in preserving it.

Public libraries keep a society's memory and give free access to knowledge, which courts link to the right to information under Articles 19(1)(a) and 21. The Supreme Court recently took suo motu cognisance after the 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library (CSL), with over 8.5 lakh books, was told to vacate without any space in the Central Vista plan [1]. The case shows that India has a good framework on paper but weak protection on the ground.

State of library infrastructure: strengths

• Legal deposit: the Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act, 1954 requires publishers to deposit copies with the National Library and other public libraries [2].
• Modernisation: the National Mission on Libraries funds model libraries, a national survey of libraries and staff training [3].
• Digital reach: the National Virtual Library of India opens collections to readers beyond the physical building [3].

State of library infrastructure: weaknesses

• Patchy law: only some States/UTs have passed public library Acts [4].
• Underfunding: central and state grants are inadequate, and local library tax revenue gets spent elsewhere [4].
• Leadership gaps: the Director General post at the National Library, Kolkata, was vacant for several years [4].
• Planning blind spot: the CSL got 13 days to vacate (17–30 September 2026) and no new site was named [1].

Role of the State

• Federal design: libraries are in the State List, so States run them. The Centre helps through RRRLF matching (State + Centre) and non-matching grants [5].
• Heritage duty: Article 49 asks the State to protect objects of national importance. In Rajeev Suri v. DDA (2021), Justice Sanjiv Khanna's dissent held that prior Heritage Conservation Committee approval was needed [6]. A check like that would have caught the CSL's omission.
• Judiciary as backstop: under Article 142 the Court can keep the status quo and order a relocation plan, but the executive should choose the site.

Way forward

• Library Acts with a library cess in the remaining States, and a National Policy on Library and Information System [4].
• A heritage impact assessment before any redevelopment, and digitisation of rare volumes before they are moved.

Overall, India has built laws, missions and digital portals. But its physical libraries are underfunded, unevenly covered by law and easy to overlook in planning. Treating them as essential public institutions would meet SDG 4 (quality education) and SDG 16.10 (public access to information), and keep India's knowledge heritage open to all readers.