The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned a plea by Subramanian Swamy to declare the ' Ram Sethu' a national heritage monument.
A Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, however, asked whether declaration of a national heritage monument was not an executive policy.
Mr. Swamy said the government should file an affidavit and come out with a clear stand on whether they support or oppose the plea.
Ram Sethu, also known as Adam's bridge, is a chain of limestone shoals between between Pamban Island or Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka.
Mr. Swamy had earlier raised the issue of declaring Ram Sethu as a national monument in his PIL against the controversial Sethusamudram Ship Channel project, initiated by the UPA-I government.
The matter had reached the apex court, which in 2007 had stayed the work for the project on the Ram Sethu.
The Centre had later said that it considered the "socio-economic disadvantages" of the project and was willing to explore another route to the shipping channel project without damaging the Ram Sethu.
"That the Government of India intends to explore an alternative to the earlier alignment of Sethusamudram Ship Channel project without affecting/damaging the Adam's Bridge/Ram Sethu in the interest of the nation," the affidavit filed by the ministry had said.
The Sethusamudram shipping channel project has been facing protests from some political parties, environmentalists and certain Hindu religious groups.
Under the project, an 83-km-long deep water channel was to be created, linking Mannar with Palk Strait, by extensive dredging and removal of limestone shoals.
