In a setback for the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, the Madras High Court (Madurai bench) on Tuesday, January 6, upheld a single judge’s order to light a lamp at the stone pillar on Thiruparankundram in Madurai.
Madras High Court Orders Temple to Light Karthigai Deepam
The court addressed whether Karthigai Deepam lit at an ancient stone lamp pillar on the Thiruparankundram hills, near the Hazarath Sultan Sikkandar Badhusha Avuliya Dargah. The state and other appellants opposed the practice, citing customs, law-and-order concerns, and competing claims over the site.
A division bench made up of Justice G Jayachandran and Justice KK Ramakrishnan said that the single judge’s order not barred by res judicata since the issue not been fully resolved in previous cases.
Court Says Law and Order Issues Over Karthigai Deepam
The Madras High Court noted that the appellants, including state authorities and the dargah, did not provide strong evidence showing that any agama shastra forbade lighting the lamp. The judges strongly criticized the state’s objections, calling it “ridiculous and hard to believe” that allowing representatives of the devasthanam to light a lamp on a specific day could disrupt public peace.
The court remarked that such disturbances could only happen if “sponsored by the state itself.” It added that it hoped no state would go that far to push a political agenda. The judges also pointed out that claims regarding the dargah’s ownership of the pillar raised doubts about the mediation efforts mentioned in court.
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