New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS): The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it would file its response by February first week on a plea filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking a direction to declare the Ram Setu a national heritage monument.
A bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha assured Swamy that the matter will be taken up for hearing in the second week of February.
The bench also told the BJP leader that the matter was unlikely to be heard today as a constitution bench was going on.
The matter was listed for hearing on Thursday.
Swamy said the Solicitor General had made a commitment to file the reply and asked the court to summon the Cabinet Secretary in the matter.
He submitted before the bench: "Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had said the counter will be filed by December 12. But it has not been filed yet. Earlier, they said it's ready...."
Mehta contended that discussions are underway and the matter is under consideration, and urged the court to schedule the matter for hearing in February first week.
The bench posted the matter for hearing in the second week of February.
Swamy's plea sought a direction to the Central government and the National Monument Authority to declare Ram Setu as a monument of national importance.
Ram Setu, which is also known as Adam's Bridge, is a chain of limestone shoals between Pamban Island or Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka.
Swamy contended that the government has already accepted the existence of Ram Setu and in 2017, a meeting was also convened to examine his demand, but things have not moved after that.
In April last year, a bench headed by the then Chief Justice S.A. Bobde had directed that the plea seeking National Heritage Status for Ram Setu be listed before the next Chief Justice of India.
The UPA government, in 2007, had proposed a Sethusamudram project.
Under this project an 83-km-long deep-water channel was to be made by extensive dredging and removal of the limestone shoals, to link Mannar with Palk Strait.
Swamy moved against this decision in the court and the government resorted to another plan to link Mannar with Palk Strait.