Chennai: The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday upheld an earlier order directing the lighting of the traditional Kartigai Deepam on the summit of Tirupparankundram Hill. The court dismissed appeals filed by the Tamil Nadu Government and the Temple Administration against the order.
The decision was delivered by a division bench comprising Justices G. Jayachandran and K.K. Ramakrishnan, which affirmed the ruling of single judge Justice G.R. Swaminathan.
Earlier, the single judge had permitted temple authorities to light the traditional lamp on the lamp pillar located on the hill during the annual Kartigai festival.
The issue arose from a petition seeking permission to light the Kartigai Deepam at the prominent religious and cultural site of Tirupparankundram near Madurai.
Petitioners argued that lighting the lamp is an ancient religious practice associated with the temple and Kartigai Deepam celebrations, supported by historical evidence.
The state government and temple administration opposed the petition, contending there was no conclusive proof of the existence of the lamp pillar on the hilltop. They also raised concerns that permitting the lamp lighting could lead to law and order problems, given the sensitive nature of the hill, which also houses a dargah.
During the hearing before the single judge, petitioners presented documentary evidence to refute the government’s claims, including a 1961 publication by the Tirupparankundram Temple Devasthanam that mentioned lighting the Kartigai Deepam on a lamp pillar on the hilltop.
Relying on this material, Justice Swaminathan allowed the petition and ordered that the lamp be lit. The temple administration and state government challenged this order before the division bench.
The division bench rejected the appeal, strongly criticizing the government’s arguments. The court stated that the claim that lighting the lamp would disturb law and order was unfounded and unacceptable.
The court also dismissed the assertion that the lamp pillar belonged to the dargah, noting the absence of credible evidence supporting such a claim.
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