Supreme Court agrees to hear Subramanian Swamy's PIL declaring Ram Setu a National Heritage Monument

The Supreme Court has agreed to list a PIL filed by former Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy seeking a direction to the Centre for declaring the Ram Setu a national heritage monument. A bench consisting of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice P S Narasimha and Justice J B Pardiwala noted the submissions of the BJP leader who mentioned the matter stating the laid back attitude of the government.

The BJP leader was instructed by the Apex Court to make a representation to the government if he wished so.

The court had also asked the Centre to take a decision on the issue and granted Swamy the liberty to approach it again if he was dissatisfied, and disposed of his interim application on the issue.

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

The BJP leader had submitted that he had already won the first round of the litigation, in which the Centre had agreed to the existence of Ram Setu.

Swamy had raised the issue of declaring the Ram Setu as national monument in his PIL against the controversial Sethusamudram Ship Channel project, initiated by the UPA-I government.