SC asks Centre to file response on plea to declare 'Ram Sethu' national heritage monument

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre to file a response to a plea filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy seeking direction to the government to declare 'Ram Sethu' as a national heritage monument. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli sought the Centre's affidavit on the plea of Swamy and adjourned the hearing.

Swamy told the bench that for the last eight years this matter has been coming up and the Union of India has failed to file an affidavit.

In his plea, Swamy has urged the apex court to pass an order and direct the "Union of India along with National Monuments Authority (NMA) to declare Ram Setu as an Ancient Monument of National Importance".

He has also urged the top court to pass an order and direct the "Union of India to engage the Geological Survey of India and Archeological Survey of India to conduct a detailed survey with respect to Ram Setu as an Ancient Monument of National Importance".Swamy said that he has already won the first round of the litigation in which the Centre accepted the existence of 'Ram Sethu' and added that the union minister concerned had called a meeting in 2017 to consider his demand to declare the Sethu as a national heritage monument but subsequently nothing happened.

Ram Sethu is a chain of limestone shoals between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka.