Supreme Court grants six weeks to Centre to clarify stand on Ram Sethu

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted six weeks time to the Centre to spell out its stand on whether it has taken a decision not to cut through ‘Ram Sethu’ for the implementation of the Sethusamudram canal project. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud granted time on a request made by ASG Pinky Anand that the government was yet to take final decision and some more time was required. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said the Centre had already made a statement in Parliament that the Ram Sethu will not be touched.

They have to inform this court about this decision. The bench, however, deferred hearing for six weeks.  Dr Swamy said after orders were reserved in 2008 on petitions challenging the project, the Pachauri panel went into the question of alternative alignment. He said the panel entrusted the National Institute of Oceanography with the task of exploring the feasibility of the project and it said the project in the alternative alignment of 4A was not feasible.