In a significant ruling, the Madras High Court has firmly dismissed the Tamil Nadu government's apprehensions about potential law and order issues as an "imaginary ghost." The court upheld a previous order directing the Subramaniya Swamy Temple management to light the traditional Karthigai deepam at a specific stone pillar on the Thiruparankundram hill peak.
Court Directives for Peaceful Festival
A division bench comprising Justice G Jayachandran and Justice K K Ramakrishnan delivered the verdict on Tuesday. They disposed of a batch of appeals challenging a single judge's order from December 1, 2025. The bench mandated that the temple devasthanam must light the lamp during the Karthigai festival using its own team.
The court laid down strict conditions to ensure peace: no members of the public will be allowed to accompany the temple team. The number of team members must be decided in consultation with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the police. The Madurai Collector has been tasked with coordinating and supervising the entire event.
"We hope, by implementing the above directions, which can be suitably modified whenever a festival of the respective community falls, then there will be only light and not any fight," the judges remarked optimistically.
"Imaginary Ghost": Court Slams State's Apprehension
The judges strongly rebuked the state government's fear of public disturbance. They stated it was "ridiculous and hard to believe the fear of the mighty state" that allowing a few temple representatives to light a lamp once a year would disrupt peace.
"Of course, it may happen only if such disturbance is sponsored by the state itself. We pray no state should stoop to that level to achieve their political agenda," the bench observed sharply. They labeled the government's fear as "nothing but an 'imaginary ghost' created by them for their convenience's sake and to pit one community against another community under suspicion and constant mistrust."
The court further criticized the projection of the event as a threat, stating it exposed either an "incapacity to maintain law and order" or a "hesitancy to bring harmony among the communities."
Agama Sastra Argument and Property Rights
The court also addressed the argument from the government and the temple management that the current lamp-lighting location was in tune with Agama Sastra because it was directly above the sanctum sanctorum. The bench rejected this reasoning.
They noted that the present site is called the Uchi Pillayar Temple but is neither the hill's top nor houses a Pillayar idol. The appellants failed to provide strong evidence that Saivite Agama Sastra prohibits lighting a lamp at a location not directly above the main deity.
Importantly, the court affirmed that the stone pillar in question is located on a portion of the hill declared by a civil court as the property of the temple devasthanam. It clarified that the Tamil Nadu Wakf Board and the Sikandar Badusha Dargah, which were among the appellants, have no locus standi in the matter as of now.
The judges also noted a last-minute claim during arguments that the lamp pillar belonged to the dargah, which they deemed a "mischievous submission." They revealed that while mediation was considered, they realized certain parties benefited from ongoing community animosity.
The ruling underscores the judiciary's role in facilitating religious practices while ensuring administrative measures for peace, directly challenging the state's security narrative in this sensitive matter.
