English
English
English
The government should take steps as soon as possible to protect it from any kind of misuse, pollution or disrespect.
Supreme Court
New Delhi: Former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy appealed in the Supreme Court to declare Ram Setu as a national monument. On the petition filed by Subramanian Swamy, the Supreme Court has sought a response from the Centre.
Swamy has said in his petition that Ram Setu is a matter of faith and belief of the people. The government should take steps as soon as possible to protect it from any kind of misuse, pollution or disrespect.
Rehearing will be held after four weeks
The petition also demands a survey of Ram Setu by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta issued a notice to the Centre while hearing the petition. Rehearing will be held after four weeks. In his petition, Swamy has cited the order passed by the apex court on January 19, 2023.
The Centre had then told the apex court that it was considering the issue related to declaring Ram Setu as a national heritage monument. On this, the court had disposed of Swamy's interim petition.
Why did Swamy file a new petition? In the new petition on behalf of Swamy, it has been said that since January 2023 till date, neither he nor the Supreme Court has been given any reply or information about the decision.
A new request was sent to the Ministry of Culture
The petition states that it is important to note that this archaeological site is a matter of faith and reverence of the people, who consider Ram Setu as a pilgrimage site. All these archaeological studies and scientific discoveries are the basic evidence proving the existence of this man-made monument as a pilgrimage site. Swamy said that on May 13 this year, a new request was again sent to the Ministry of Culture.
What is Ram Setu
There is a chain of interconnected limestones between Pamban Island, also known as Rameswaram, located on the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, and Mannar in Sri Lanka. Geologists believe that earlier this chain was above the sea. One could walk to Sri Lanka from it. In Hinduism, it is believed to be a bridge built by Lord Ram's monkey army. Some other religions of the world also believe that this structure is man-made. It is also called Adams Bridge.
UPA government
Under the Sethu Samudram project started during the reign of the Congress-led UPA government, there was a plan to demolish Ram Setu to make way for ships. In this project, an 83 km long channel was to be built to connect Mannar and Palk Strait, for which large scale digging was to be done. Later, this action was stopped after the court's intervention. Since then, there has been a demand to declare Ram Setu a national monument.
