Rediff

New Delhi, Jul 29: The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it had already come to the conclusion that the Ram Sethu doesn't fulfill the criteria for being declared a national monument.

"As far as we are concerned, the stand of the government is very clear that the Ram Sethu could not fulfil the criteria of a national monument," senior advocate Fali S Nariman, appearing for the Centre, told a bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan.

Further, on the issue of an alternative alignment to avoid the destruction of Ram Sethu for the Sethusamudram project, he said, so far, he has not received any instruction from the government.

Nariman said that he would receive some instructions by today evening or Wednesday.

A day after making a strident argument that Ram Sethu was destroyed by Lord Rama himself, the Centre had on July 24 changed tack and said that the viability of going ahead with the Sethusamudram project through an alternative alignment has been taken up at the 'highest level'.

"The suggestion for an alternative alignment to avoid the Ram Sethu route has been taken as a special case. I have personally taken it at the highest level. It is being scientifically examined. I will come back to you by Tuesday or Wednesday," Nariman had told the bench.