SC to hear plea to declare 'Ram Sethu' as national heritage monument on April 26

The Supreme Court on Thursday said that on April 26 it will hear a plea of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy seeking direction to the Centre to declare 'Ram Sethu' a national heritage monument.

The Supreme Court on Thursday said that on April 26 it will hear a plea of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subraman Swamy seeking direction to the Centre to declare 'Ram Sethu' a national heritage monument.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde said, "Let next CJI (Justice NV Ramana) deal with this issue. I do not have so much time. This issue requires time and I do not have it."

Chief Justice Bobde, who is retiring on April 23, told Swamy who submitted that the issue is pending for long time and urgent hearing is required.

In his plea, the BJP leader has urged the apex court to pass and order and direct, "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 "Union of India to engage Geological Survey of India and Archeological Survey of India to conduct a detailed survey in 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 concerned union minister 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 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.

( With inputs from ANI )