The Madras High Court Madurai Bench has begun hearing appeals against Justice Swaminathan’s order allowing the Karthigai Deepam to be lit on the Thiruparankundram pillar. The case is being heard by Justices Jayachandran and Ramakrishnan.
State Government’s Stand
The Tamil Nadu government argued that the traditional practice was followed this year, with the lamp lit at the Uchipillaiyar Temple mandapam as usual. Officials said the hill structure claimed as a lamp post is actually a boundary stone, and only the temple administration has the right to light the lamp. They added that the PIL was filed by someone with no direct connection to the issue and accused the petitioner of having other motives.
The judges asked all sides to maintain peace and refused interim requests before the full hearing. They questioned whether surveys had confirmed the hilltop structure as a lamp post, and the government replied that the nellithoppu and dargah areas belong to the dargah.
The court noted two past religious disputes dating back to 1912, the imposition of Section 144 this year, and an earlier peace pact made under pressure. They stressed that the lamp has been lit at the same place for 73 years.