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The Supreme Court of India has rejected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought the construction of a wall near the Ram Setu site for 'darshan.'
The court ruled that such matters fall under administrative decisions and questioned its jurisdiction to order the construction of a wall. The Central government on January 19, told the Supreme Court that the process to declare 'Ram Setu' a national heritage monument is currently underway in the Ministry of Culture. A bench consisting of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala also declined to merge the PIL with another petition that aims to declare Ram Setu a national heritage monument. In response to these developments, the Central government informed the Supreme Court that the process to declare Ram Setu a national heritage monument is currently in progress within the Ministry of Culture. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, who sought this designation, has been granted permission by the court to file a representation to the Ministry regarding the matter. The court has decided that the Ministry will subsequently inform it about the outcome of the government's decision. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the bench that the process is already underway in the Ministry of Culture and that Swamy can submit additional communication if he wishes to do so. Swamy had urged the Supreme Court to direct the Union of India, along with the National Monuments Authority, to declare Ram Setu an Ancient Monument of National Importance. He also requested a detailed survey of Ram Setu by the Geological Survey of India and the Archaeological Survey of India. Swamy pointed out that he had already won the initial round of litigation, in which the government acknowledged the existence of Ram Setu. Despite the Union Minister's meeting in 2017 to discuss declaring Ram Setu a national heritage monument, Swamy claimed that no significant progress has been made on the matter. Ram Setu, a chain of limestone shoals between Pamban Island and Mannar Island, is located off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu and the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. (ANI)
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