SC seeks clarification on RamSethu

Sethusamudram has become bone of contention between the Central government and various other organisations who are opposing the project. On Tuesday a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan poured several queries related to RamSethu as a place of worship.

Subramanium Swamy, Janata Party president had earlier petitioned against Sethusamudran project, challenging dredging of Adam’s Bridge for opening a shipping channel which will reduce the shipping distance between the western and eastern coast of India.

The argument in the Apex Court came in response of Swamy’s plea who stated that Ram Sethu is a religious place of worship and that the act of dredging is a punishable offence.

The Bench including R V Raveendran hurled several questions on the petitioner, “How is Ram Sethu a place of worship? Who does puja in the middle of the sea? Do not argue that people go there and worship Ram Sethu. It is not Rameshwaram, but far from it.”

But Swamy sounded assertive and said that the non-belief of judges cannot out do the faiths of millions of devotee. He said, “It is not a question of the individual perception and belief of Lordships. It is a question of the belief of millions of people. This court cannot sanction breaking of Ram Sethu.”

While Fali S Nariman, on behalf of government said that the centre has filed an affidavit on the basis of the report submitted by Committee of Eminent Persons.

But Swamy on the other hand accused Centre of being indecisive on the matter; he said that the culture ministry was not keen to conduct an archaeological survey on Ram Sethu even though it withdrew its earlier controversial affidavit which questioned the existence of Ramayan and Lord Ram.

Senior counsel KK Venugopal, M.N. Krishnamani and Arun Jaitley on behalf of petitioners pointed out that the Archaeological Survey of India in its affidavit mentioned that it has never undertaken any study Ram Sethu on the possibility to declare it as a national monument. Earlier Madras High Court had asked the central government to file an affidavit stating whether any study has been conducted to ascertain whether Ram Sethu could be declared a national monument.

The centre in its affidavit has sought of getting green signal to go ahead with the project. Meanwhile, the bench posted the matter for hearing on April 29.