The Supreme Court today declined to intervene in a Madras High Court order restricting Muslim prayers at the Sultan Sikandar Badushah Auliya Dargah, thereby allowing the contested directions to remain in force.
The High Court’s October 2025 order had banned meat consumption on Thiruparankundram hill and limited Muslim prayers at the Dargah-owned Nellithoppu area—spanning 33 cents—to Ramzan and Bakri-Id only.
A Bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and P.B. Varale was hearing an appeal filed by M. Imam Hussain, a worshipper at the Dargah. Representing the petitioner, advocate Prashant Bhushan argued that the restrictions were unjustified as there had been no prior law-and-order issues, despite legal recognition of the Dargah’s ownership of the land.
However, the court noted that a peace committee meeting had been convened following tensions and refused to interfere, stating that it would not express any opinion on the rights of the parties.
Thiruparankundram hill is a multi-faith site housing Hindu temples, a Sufi shrine, and Jain relics, and has seen repeated religious disputes in recent months.