Thiruparankundram row: T.N. government has abided by 2014 Division Bench order, says Law Minister

Commenting on the row over the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam at Thirupparankundram, senior DMK leader and Minister for Natural Resources S. Regupathy on Thursday said the Tamil Nadu government was acting in accordance with a 2014 order of the Division Bench of the Madras High Court, which had allowed the lighting of the Deepam at the place where it was regularly done.

“Those who have not understood or read the judgment of the Bench, comprising Justices Bhavani Subbaroyan and Kalayanasundaram, had approached a single judge to light the Deepam at a place of their choice, and have secured an order. But we respect law and justice, and our Chief Minister respects the rule of law. How can we allow the implementation of a single judge’s order without the order of the Division Bench being set aside?” Mr. Regupathy said.

Interacting with journalists in Chennai, he said the government would face allegations if it allowed the implementation of the single judge’s [Justice G.R. Swaminathan’s] order. “We are abiding by the 2014 order,” he said.

When asked about the allegation by Hindutva outfits that the government had refused to respect the court order, Mr. Regupathy said they had failed to take into account the order of the Division Bench. “They are not ready to respect the court’s order, and we can file cases against them based on the 2014 order. They have suppressed the order of the Division Bench and secured a new one,” he alleged. “Will people believe their story,” he asked.

CISF deployment

Responding to a question on the deployment of CISF personnel, the Minister said they had gone there on the direction of the court. “The State police is functioning effectively. We are committed to protecting law and order in the State,” he said.

Earlier, in a social media message, Mr. Regupathy said divisive forces and those who were “slaves of the BJP–RSS” could not succeed in disturbing the peace in Tamil Nadu, however hard they tried.

“Their designs will not cut ice with the people of Tamil Nadu. The people will teach a fitting lesson to the enemies and betrayers of Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Mr. Regupathy said it was a shame that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami had chosen to stand by the “culprits who sought to create riots” in Tamil Nadu. “He has become a mercenary of the BJP–RSS, and has converted the AIADMK into a slave of Home Minister Amit Shah,” he claimed.