Madurai, Dec 4 (LatestNewsX) – BJP’s Tamil Nadu chief, Nainar Nagenthran, was taken into custody on Thursday after he and senior party figure H. Raja, together with members of several Hindu groups, tried to scale Thirupparankundram hill to ignite the Karthigai Deepam lamp, defying police orders.
The arrest signaled a hardening of the dispute over where the ancient lamp‑lighting ceremony should take place. The tension swelled when the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court ruled that the lamp must be lit on a stone pillar at the summit, a sharp departure from the tradition of lighting it inside the Uchipillaiyar Temple hall.
Although the temple officials had initially begun arranging to follow the court’s directive, they scrapped the plan on Wednesday morning. The sudden reversal sparked widespread protests from the BJP, RSS, Hindu Makkal Katchi, Akhil Bharath Hanuman Sena, South Indian Forward Bloc and other Hindu organisations.
As the demonstrations grew unruly, authorities imposed Section 144 in the Thirupparankundram vicinity and detained several demonstrators, citing possible law‑and‑order risks. The case went back to court on Thursday, where Justice G.R. Swaminathan struck down the prohibitory order issued by the District Collector, declaring the restrictions unwarranted.
The judge reiterated that the petitioner must be permitted to light the lamp at the summit and instructed the Police Commissioner to provide full security. A compliance report is due to the court by 10:30 a.m. on Friday.
After the court order, Nagenthran, Raja and members of the involved Hindu groups attempted to proceed up the hill to perform the ritual. Police officers halted them, citing ongoing security concerns. The leaders then staged a protest at the base of the hill, accusing the administration of obstructing a court‑approved religious observance.
With tensions mounting, law‑enforcement officials arrested Nagenthran, Raja and several others for allegedly breaching prohibitory instructions and posing a potential threat to public order. Authorities said the arrests were necessary to prevent further flare‑ups in the sensitive temple zone.
The Deepam dispute has now become a prominent legal, political and religious flashpoint. Further updates are expected once the police submit their compliance report to the High Court on Friday.
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