Supreme Court to hear on Nov 26 the plea of Swamy on Rama Sethu

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today agreed to hear on Thursday BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's plea to withdraw his 2009 petition against the Sethusamudram project, following a recent decision of the Centre that the mythological bridge Rama Sethu would not be dismantled.

"List it for hearing on Thursday. We will hear it provided all parties agree," a bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Amitava Roy said when Swamy mentioned the matter for urgent listing.

Swamy said his prayer for scrapping of the project stands satisfied after the Centre took a decision and hence, he wanted to withdraw his plea.

The Sethusamudram shipping channel project has been facing protests from some political parties, environmentalists and several Hindu religious groups.

The mythological Ram Sethu is a continuous stretch of limestone shoals that runs from Pamban Island near Rameshwaram in South India to Mannar Island off the northern coast of Sri Lanka.

Under the Sethusamudram project, a 83-km-long deep water channel would have been created linking Mannar with Palk Strait by extensive dredging and removal of the limestone shoals which constitute the Sethu.