Madras HC slams TN Govt for 'wilful disobedience' after Karthigai Deepam not lit at ancient pillar

Instead of following the court order, the temple lit the lamp at its traditional location near the Uchipillaiyar temple, a practice in place for over a century.

Hearing a contempt petition filed by Rama Ravikumar, Justice G.R. Swaminathan said the authorities had made “no arrangement whatsoever” to light the lamp on the Deepathoon, which stands away from a 14th-century dargah complex housing the grave of Sufi saint Sultan Sikandhar Badushah.

“Contempt has been committed… the order has been breached,” the judge said, adding that the petition was “not premature.”

He noted the temple’s executive officer was unreachable, the temple’s appeal against the order was defective, and the dargah — the only party that could have been aggrieved — had not filed any plea.

“The state administration has decided to cock a snook at this court’s order. Defying the order would sound the death knell of democracy itself,” Justice Swaminathan remarked, calling the officials’ conduct deliberate and reminding them that “no one… may think that they are above the law.”

In an unusual enforcement move under contempt jurisdiction, the court permitted the petitioner and 10 others to climb the hill and symbolically light the lamp at the Deepathoon pillar, directing CISF personnel to provide security.

But shortly after the state government filed an appeal against the single-judge order, police stopped the group from proceeding to the hilltop.

They have said they will wait for the court’s hearing on Thursday and criticised the temple administration for blocking them despite the earlier order.

Local authorities also imposed restrictions on large gatherings to maintain peace.

The dispute centres on the Thirupparankundram Subramaniaswamy temple, one of the six abodes of Lord Murugan and the site where the Karthigai Deepam should be lit.

For more than 100 years, the lamp has been lit at a lower spot near the Uchipillaiyar temple, away from the dargah on the upper peak.

But on December 1, Justice Swaminathan held that the ancient Deepathoon pillar is temple property, citing a 1923 decree upheld by the Privy Council, which said the unoccupied portions of the hill had been under temple possession “from time immemorial.”

He warned that failing to periodically light the lamp at the pillar could weaken the temple’s ownership claims.

Tamil Nadu government sources told NDTV that the state is “not against Hindus” but is focused on “protecting genuine devotees” and maintaining communal harmony. They argued there was no evidence the lamp was historically lit at the upper pillar and that the single-judge order relied on a 1996 observation.

They also noted no devotee had approached the court seeking a change to the long-standing practice.

The issue has become politically charged. While local Hindus and Muslims have coexisted peacefully in the region for decades, the timing of the controversy has heightened tensions.

BJP state chief K. Annamalai called the government’s actions “shameful” and accused the DMK of working against Hindu interests.

“The DMK government’s hostility toward Sanatan Dharma is now a fact,” he said on X, alleging misuse of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan, however, said the BJP was trying to create divisions. “Here, Hindus and Muslims are so cordial. We don’t want any problem triggered by this,” he told NDTV.

There were also tense scenes on the ground as pro-Hindu groups attempted to march up the hill before being stopped by police.

The High Court will hear the matter again on Thursday.