New Delhi, Apr 8 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Thursday said it will hear BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's plea on April 26 seeking a direction to the Centre to declare 'Ram Sethu' as a national heritage monument.

Swamy, who appeared in-person, submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde to consider his plea for an urgent hearing.

The bench also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian said the matter requires time and let the next Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, deal with it as Justice Bobde will retire on April 23.

During the hearing, Justice Bobde remarked that he does not have so much time to deal with the matter.

Swamy submitted before the bench that the matter has been pending for a long time. After a brief hearing in the matter, the bench scheduled the plea for further hearing on April 26.

Last year in January, the top court said it will examine Swamy's plea on 'Ram Sethu' as a national heritage monument, after three months.

Swamy had submitted that the Centre had already accepted the existence of Ram Sethu, which is also known as Adam's bridge, is a chain of limestone shoals between 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.

However, March 2020, last week onwards the apex court started the hearing of urgent matters only through video conferencing in the backdrop pf Covid-19 pandemic, and the case could not be listed.

Swamy in his PIL challenged the controversial Sethusamudram Ship Channel project, initiated by the UPA-I government. The matter had reached the top court, which in 2007 stayed the work on the project.