The legal confrontation surrounding the lighting of the sacred Karthigai Deepam lamp at Madurai's Thiruparankundram hill witnessed significant developments on Friday, with two separate benches of the Madras High Court conducting parallel hearings. The proceedings focused on an appeal against a ruling permitting the ritual and a related contempt petition alleging defiance of court orders.
Division Bench Adjourns Government's Appeal
A division bench comprising Justices G Jayachandran and K K Ramakrishnan deferred the hearing on the state government's appeal to Friday, December 12. The appeal challenges a single-judge order from December 1 that allowed devotees to light the ceremonial lamp at the 'Deepathoon', a stone pillar near the Ucchi Pillaiyar shrine and adjacent to a dargah complex.
The bench clarified it would hear the matter only after all involved parties, including the current appellants and others like the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and the dargah administration, file their appeals. Justice Jayachandran stated the court would hear everyone together and would not allow fresh impleadments at this stage.
The appellants in this case are the Madurai District Collector, the City Police Commissioner, and the Executive Officer of the Thiruparankundram Subramania Swamy Temple. They are contesting Justice G R Swaminathan's ruling that the Deepathoon is outside the dargah's jurisdiction and that preventing the lamp-lighting infringes on the temple's religious rights.
Contempt Proceedings Paused Amid Supreme Court Move
In a related development, Justice G R Swaminathan's bench in Madurai briefly reconvened contempt proceedings on Friday morning. Petitioners' counsel alleged police obstruction and the detention of devotees attempting to comply with the court's earlier order.
The proceedings were paused after the state government, represented by senior advocate Vikas Singh, informed the court that it has now approached the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP). The judge has requested a factual report from the CISF commandant, who was tasked with implementing the court's order but was unable to do so, and adjourned the contempt hearing to Tuesday.
Background of the Escalating Dispute
The conflict intensified earlier this week following the single judge's initial order. When petitioners filed a contempt plea alleging non-compliance, Justice Swaminathan directed the CISF to escort devotees to the hill summit to ensure the lamp was lit.
In response, the district administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, citing crowd control and security concerns. The government then filed a Letters Patent Appeal (LPA), which a division bench dismissed, calling it an attempt to preempt the contempt proceedings.
Subsequently, the single judge bench quashed the prohibitory order and once again mandated police protection for the ritual, warning of "harsh consequences" for failure. Despite these orders, the lamp remained unlit on December 4, leading to the current legal standoff.
The outcome of the hearings next week, alongside the Supreme Court's response to the state's SLP, will be crucial in resolving this sensitive dispute intertwining religious practice, administrative authority, and judicial oversight.
