TN govt challenges judge’s order on Karthigai Deepam ritual issue

Madurai – The Tamil Nadu government appeared before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court to contend that Justice Swaminathan had overstepped his authority. The government said that the judge had directed the lighting of Karthigai Deepam on the lamp‑post at the peak of Thiruparankundram Hill and, at the same time, ordered that CISF troops be used to guard the site.

The dispute started when a petition asked for permission to light the traditional Karthigai Deepam on the hill’s lamp‑post, which sits within one of the six barrack areas of Thiruparankundram. Acting on that request, the judge instructed the temple authority to arrange for the Maha Deepam to be lit at the hilltop. Preparations were underway on Wednesday morning, but the temple officials suddenly cancelled the plans.

The reversal sparked a protest that drew in several groups, including the Hindu Makkal Katchi, Akhila Bharath Hanuman Sena, South India Forward Bloc, and others. They marched to insist that the lamp‑post be illuminated as requested by the petitioner. In keeping with local custom, the Deepam was ultimately lit at 6 p.m. near the Uchchipillaiyar Temple on the hilltop, not on the lamp‑post itself. Those who had been dissatisfied urged again that the lamp‑post be lit under CISF protection.

Justice Swaminathan therefore issued an order allowing the parties to carry out the lighting at the designated spot with security detail. That decision led to a heated confrontation later that evening. BJP workers and members of a Hindu outfit shouted slogans near the 16‑foot hall and tried to scale the hill after breaking a barricade. The police intervened, and a clash erupted in which two officers were injured.

With the situation on the brink of escalating further, District Collector Praveen Kumar imposed a Section 144 prohibitory order. Several protesters were arrested for breaching the restrictions, and some groups later set up camphor on the pathway and performed rituals before dispersing.

The state government promptly approached Administrative Judge Justice Jayachandran, seeking to suspend and nullify the solitary judge’s directives. The Additional Chief Public Prosecutor argued that Justice Swaminathan had no power to deploy CISF fighters—whose remit is limited to protecting the High Court premises, not to maintaining public order.

The government also claimed that the order directly undermined communal harmony and general law and order in Thiruparankundram. At the same time, the Collector filed a new petition protesting a contempt ruling that had been lodged by the original petitioner.

Both requests were taken up early as the first cases of the day by Justices Jayachandran and Ramakrishnan. The state appealed that an action against the temple administration could not proceed without giving them a hearing and that contempt proceedings could not result in an instant penalty on the day the complaint was filed. It urged the court to set aside Justice Swaminathan’s orders, arguing that they exceeded judicial authority and only served to inflame tensions in the area.

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