New Delhi, India — Supreme Court is once again turning its attention to the ‘Ram Setu,’ also known as Adam’s Bridge. On Friday, the Court issued a notice to the Central government, asking for a response on a plea by former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy. Swamy’s petition is pushing the government to “expeditiously” decide on his request to designate the ‘Ram Setu’ as a national monument.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta heard the plea and has scheduled the next hearing in four weeks.
For those unfamiliar, the ‘Ram Setu’ is a chain of limestone shoals located between Pamban Island, off the coast of Tamil Nadu, and Mannar Island, off the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka.
This is not the first time the issue has come before the Supreme Court. Swamy’s current plea refers to a previous court order from January 19, 2023. At that time, the Centre had informed the court that it was actively looking into the matter of declaring the site a national heritage monument. The court had then instructed the government to make a decision and gave Swamy the liberty to file a new plea if he was not satisfied with the outcome.
In his latest petition, Swamy claims that no response or decision has been communicated to him or the court since the 2023 order. His plea emphasizes that the government has a duty to protect the ‘Ram Setu’ from “misuse, pollution or desecration.”
The petition highlights the cultural and religious significance of the site, stating, “this archaeological site is a matter of faith and ‘shradha’ of people treating Ram Setu as a pilgrimage.” Swamy’s plea also notes that he submitted a formal representation to the government on January 27, 2023, and followed up with another one on May 13, 2025.
The plea specifically asks the Ministry of Culture to “decide the representation of the petitioner in an expeditious manner/time-bound manner,” citing the court’s previous order.