Shillong, October 3: The Supreme Court declined to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Tuesday that sought directions to the Centre to construct a wall near Ram Setu and declare it a national heritage monument.
As per IANS, a bench comprising Justices S.K. Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia ruled that such administrative matters should be within the purview of the government, and the courts should refrain from interference.
The bench stated, “We are not inclined to exercise our jurisdiction under Article 32 of the Constitution to issue any type of direction as requested by the petitioner.”
Furthermore, the court did not instruct the government to treat the petition as a representation, advising the petitioner to present it to the government.
The PIL was filed by the Hindu Personal Law Board, represented by its President Ashok Pandey, who argued that the Union government had not taken necessary steps to preserve Ram Setu.
It’s worth noting that the Supreme Court had previously agreed to hear a similar plea filed by former BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who sought to declare Ram Setu a national heritage monument and had sought a response from the Central government.
In January of this year, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court that the government was examining the issue, and the process was underway in the Union Ministry of Culture.
Ram Setu, also known as Adam’s Bridge, is a chain of limestone shoals located between Pamban Island or Rameswaram Island, off the southeastern coast of Tamil Nadu, and Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka.