As the Central government on Thursday sought time till the first week of February to file its response on a plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking to declare Ram Sethu as a national heritage monument, the Supreme Court asked the government to state its position by February 1.

A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha

Posted Swami’s plea for hearing in the second week of February, as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that the reply to the plea is under consideration and will be filed in the first week of February.

Making a mentioning, Swamy told the bench that the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had made a commitment that a response will be filed by December 12, 2022 but till now no affidavit has been filed.

Chief Justice Chandrachud told the Solicitor General, who was present in court, “Mr. Solicitor, Mr. Swamy is saying you have not kept your commitment to file the counter in the Ram Sethu matter.”

The Solicitor General said that the reply is under consideration and discussions are going on. He said that the matter may be listed for hearing in the first week of February.

Chief Justice Chandrachud did not accede to Swamy plea seeking the presence of the cabinet secretary in view of delay by the government in clarifying its stand.

In the past, the matter has been adjourned several times since last year.

Swamy had earlier said that the case has been pending for eight years but the government has not been able to respond to the plea.

In his plea, Swamy had urged the apex court to pass an order and direct “Union of India along with National Monuments Authority (NMA) to declare Ram Setu as an Ancient Monument of National Importance.”

He had also urged the apex court to direct “Union of India to engage Geological Survey of India and Archaeological Survey of India to conduct a detailed survey in respect to Ram Setu as an Ancient Monument of National Importance.”

Swamy said that he has already won the first round of the litigation in which the Centre accepted the existence of ‘Ram Sethu’ and added that the union minister concerned had called a meeting in 2017 to consider his demand to declare the Sethu as a national heritage monument but subsequently nothing happened.

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