Tamil Nadu govt to move SC against HC order on lamp lighting atop Thiruparankundram Hills

The Tamil Nadu government will approach the Supreme Court against the Madras High Court order permitting the lighting of a lamp at the deepathoon (lamp pillar) atop Thirupparankundram hill, State Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments P K Sekar Babu said on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media, the Minister said the government was compelled to file an appeal as the verdict was legally flawed and went against long-standing cultural practices. He argued that introducing a new religious practice through a judicial order was fundamentally wrong.

He pointed out that a Division Bench of the Madras High Court had partly upheld an earlier direction of a single judge, Justice G R Swaminathan. While the court restrained the general public from accessing the lamp pillar, it permitted certain individuals, under the leadership of the district collector, to light the lamp. “This is contradictory and legally untenable,” the Minister said, adding that there was no historical or documentary evidence to show that lighting a lamp at the site was ever a customary practice.

The Minister said the district administration had informed the court that allowing the ritual could lead to law and order issues and that lighting lamps at the pillar had never been part of tradition. Emphasising respect for the judiciary, the Minister said the government was not questioning the institution but was exercising its constitutional right to challenge an order it believes is unsupported by evidence.

Describing the issue as sensitive, he said the verdict hurt Tamil cultural sentiments and continuity. The controversy centres on Thirupparankundram, a site of religious and historical significance, where disputes over rituals and access have sparked repeated legal battles. The State government is expected to file its appeal in the Supreme Court shortly and seek a stay on the Madurai Bench order.
(With LiveLaw inputs)