Deepam row: Madras HC dismisses Tamil Nadu govt appeal

In a setback to the DMK government, the Madras High Court on Tuesday upheld a single judge’s order permitting the lighting of the Deepam on the Deepathoon atop the Thiruparankundram hills in Madurai and strongly criticised the state for failing to implement the verdict, describing its apprehension of law and order issues as an “imaginary ghost”.
A division bench of Justices G. Jayachandran and K.K. Ramakrishnan of the Madurai Bench disposed of the appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu government against the order passed by Justice G.R. Swaminathan, which allowed the lighting of the Deepam on the occasion of Karthigai Deepam.The bench noted that the state government had refused to implement the single judge’s order, even after directions were issued to allow Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel to accompany the petitioner, Rama Ravikumar, to light the lamp on December 3. While granting permission, the single judge had also made it clear that the number of people allowed to climb the hill would be decided by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The government had opposed the order, arguing that allowing people to climb the hill and light the Deepam could lead to law and order problems, as the Sikkander Badusha dargah is located about 50 metres from the Deepathoon. Instead, officials of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department lit the fire at the Uchipillaiyar temple at 6 pm, citing tradition.Rejecting the government’s stand, the division bench observed that the apprehension of a law and order issue was an “imaginary ghost created by state authorities for their convenience to put one community against the other under suspicion”. The judges also pulled up the district administration for not implementing the single judge’s order.
The court opined that the administration should have used the judgment as an opportunity to bridge gaps between communities through mediation. It further said that neither the state government nor the dargah authorities had produced any evidence to show that the Agama Shastras prohibited the lighting of the Deepam at the site.The judges noted that Thiruparankundram hill has historically been a symbol of religious coexistence and communal harmony, housing the Subramaniya Swamy temple, the Kasi Viswanathan temple and the Sikkander Badusha dargah.The row over the hilltop temple intensified in February 2025 after Hindu organisations launched protests alleging that Lok Sabha MP Nawaz Kani had consumed meat on the hills. Since then, the site has remained at the centre of controversy, even as local residents have continued to live in harmony, the court observed.

#WATCH | Madurai, Tamil Nadu: Advocates celebrate the verdict of the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court to uphold Justice GR Swaminathan's order regarding the lighting of a lamp on the "Deepathoon" in the Tirupparankundram temple. pic.twitter.com/cCE7mithD8

— ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2026