The Madurai district administration clamped prohibitory orders in the temple town of Tirupparankundram late Wednesday evening amid protests by Hindu outfits to permit lighting of the Karthigai Deepam lamp at the ‘dheepathoon’ (pillar) atop the hill, close to a dargah, as directed by Justice G R Swaminathan of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
High drama continued till 9 p.m. when armed with an order passed by the judge in a contempt of court case, the litigant and members of Hindu organisations, accompanied by CISF personnel from the High Court, arrived to go atop the hill to light the lamp. However, Madurai City Police Commissioner J. Loganathan, citing the law-and-order situation and the imposition of Section 163 of BNSS (Section 144 of Cr.P.C) in the Tirupparankundram zone by District Collector K.J. Praveen Kumar, stopped the petitioners from entering the secured area.
Mr. Loganathan informed the petitioners that earlier in the evening the Hindu organisations had created tension in the area by gathering in large numbers and trying to damage public properties, which led the district administration to clamp to pass the 144 order.
“To control the crowd and to ensure peace in the area, we have prohibited anyone from entering the hill itself,” he added. Further, he said the state has filed an appeal against the single judge’s order and hence the police cannot permit them to go the hills , so they could not permit anyone until the matter was taken before the court.
However, the petitioners and those accompanying them, refusing to heed the police’s direction, gathered at the location, pleading to be allowed to light the lamp.
Earlier, close to 600 members of Hindu Munnani, BJP, and other Hindu organisations staged a protest outside the HR&CE office nearby the temple area, condemning the State government for not allowing them inside.
The ‘Mahadeepam’ was, however, lit atop the hillock as usual near the Subramaniaswamy Temple at Tirupparankundram.
Earlier, taking a serious view of the fact that the management of the Subramaniya Swamy temple in Tirupparankundram did not light the Kathigai Deepam at the Deepathoon at 6 p.m as directed by him, Justice Swaminathan permitted the original petitioner to take 10 other persons along with him including the other petitioners to go up the hill and light Kathigai Deepam at the Deepathoon.
The court was hearing the contempt petition filed by Rama. Ravikumar of Madurai district who contended that no arrangements had been made for lighting the Deepam and that the order of the court was going to be breached. On December 1, the judge had directed the management of the Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tirupparankundram, to light the Karthigai Deepam at the Deepathoon, besides at the usual places.
When the matter was taken up for hearing at 5 p.m., the State submitted that the contempt petition was premature. The matter was then passed over to be heard at 6.05 p.m.. The court took into account that the Deepam had been lit at the Uchi Pillaiyar Temple at 6 p.m.. But there has been no lighting of the Deepam at the Deepathoon, as directed by him.
Justice Swaminathan said the fundamental rights of the petitioner were involved. “Rule of law is at stake. The State administration has decided to cock a snook at the court’s order. Merely admitting the contempt petition and issuing statutory notice will not serve the purpose. On the other hand, defying the order of the court would send a very bad signal. It would encourage the officials to indulge in such conduct in future also. That would sound the death knell of democracy itself,” he said.
“It appears that the Executive Officer representing the temple alone had filed the appeal and that too in a defective format. I am impelled to think that the filing of the appeal by the temple in a defective format is a ruse to disobey the order of the court,” he said.
According to him, the State has not filed any appeal. “The Dargha which can be said to be the aggrieved person in the legal sense of the term has not obtained stay of the court’s order. The temple management after filing the papers had taken them back. It is true that 30 days time is available for filing the appeal. But on that ground, the conduct of the officials cannot be condoned. There are moments when the court has to take the call to take appropriate measures to enforce its order,” he said.
The Judge said it was not beyond the power of the court to ensure obedience of its order by directing the act to be done by some person appointed for that purpose instead of enforcing its order by imprisonment, the court observed.
He then directed the Commandant of CISF Unit, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, to send a team of CISF Personnel to offer protection to the petitioner and his associates in carrying out the court’s order. The court posted the matter for reporting compliance to December 4.
Published – December 04, 2025 12:12 am IST
