On October 3, a request for a ruling designating the “Ram Setu” as a national monument under the 1958 Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act was denied by the Supreme Court. In order to control access to the site for Darshan, it also sought permission to build a wall in the water for a few metres or miles. The request was denied by the Supreme Court, which noted that these issues relate to the government’s administrative procedure.
The Hindu Personal Law Board, through Lucknow-based attorney Ashok Pandey, filed the petition as a writ petition under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution, along with a request for the designation of Ram Setu as a national monument under the terms of the 1958 Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.
The petitioner asked the court panel made up of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia to combine the case with one being pursued by Dr. Subramanian Swamy to give the “Ram Setu” national heritage status. The bench absolutely refused to do this, adding that the petitioner should instead approach the government because this is an administrative matter. Justice Kaul initially questioned the need for a new petition when Subramanian Swamy’s appeal was still ongoing. The judge questioned, “What do you want?”
We’re not linking it, no. In accordance with Article 32 of the Indian Constitution, we are hesitant to intervene and issue the petitioner’s requested directives. When he asked to associate the petition with the aforementioned lawsuit, the highest court declared it to be “dismissed.” “No. You now want to add my name to the list, Justice Kaul observed.
“In case this Setu comes in open, it will give way for people all over the world to come to Dhanuskoti (Rameshwaram) for the Darshan of the bridge built under the orders of Lord Ram,” the petition’s emphasised historical event read. If it is completed, the average person will be able to walk a short distance on this bridge. Millions of people, including the petitioner, will be able to realise their dream of walking, sitting, and sleeping on the bridge that Ram used to enter Lanka with his army in order to kill Ravan and create Ram Rajya.
“It is indeed good that Sri Nitin Gadkari, the minister in charge of this department, declared in Parliament that Sri Ram Setu will not be destroyed and that the Setu Samudram Shipping Canal Project (SSSCP) will be finished without destruction of the same,” it continued. In his 2007 argument, Dr. Subramanian Swamy raised the concern of the ‘Ram Setu’ being acknowledged as a national treasure and opposed the Sethu Samundram Ship Channel project. As part of the Setu Samundram project, a sizable amount of dredging was going to be done in order to create an 83-kilometre-long waterway between Mannar and Palk Strait. The project was said to have an effect on the Ram Setu. He has previously discussed this subject on numerous occasions.
The Indian Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, informed the Supreme Court that the Ministry of Culture was considering designating “Ram Setu” as a national treasure. Ram Setu, commonly referred to as “Adam’s Bridge,” is a group of limestone shoals off the coast of Tamil Nadu in India. It extends from Pamban Island, near Rameshwaram in the southern state, to Mannar Island off the northern coast of Sri Lanka. The Ramayana makes reference to the bridge and claims that Lord Ram, the seventh manifestation of Lord Vishnu, constructed it in order to travel to Lanka and save his wife, Goddess Sita, from the clutches of the formidable Rakshasa monarch Ravana.
