Madras HC Upholds Order for Temple Lamp Lighting on Protected Hill Site

The bench, consisting of Justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan, observed that the district administration ought to have treated the issue as an opportunity to bridge the gap between the communities through mediation.

It further held that, since the hill is a protected site, any activity there must strictly comply with the Act's provisions. The Court clarified that the lamp may be lit and the number of persons permitted can be fixed, subject to consultation with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Petitioner Rajesh called the court's order remarkable, stating that the lamp should be lit on a Deepathoon and the temple administration should make the necessary arrangements for it. He said that the arguments presented by the state government into the matter were rejected by the court.

Rajesh asserted that the verdict is a victory for Hindus in Tamil Nadu and for devotees of Murugan.

"The court has delivered a remarkable verdict. The government's appeal petition has been dismissed. The lamp should be lit on a Deepathoon and the temple administration should make the necessary arrangements for it. The arguments presented by the government today, citing the possibility of law and order issues, were rejected by the court, which observed that they reflected the government's inaction. This verdict is a victory for the Hindus of Tamil Nadu and for Murugan devotees, including students," he said.

The development is followed when over 100 INDIA bloc MPs from the Lok Sabha during the Winter session submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding an impeachment motion against Madras HC judge Justice Swaminathan, who ordered Subramaniya Swamy temple authorities to light a traditional lamp at a stone pillar near a dargah, atop a hillock in Tamil Nadu.

In December, unrest broke out during the Hindu festival of Karthigai Deepam when activists from right-wing groups clashed with police. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had earlier directed that the lamp be lit at the hilltop temple.

Acting on a petition filed by a right-wing activist, Justice GR Swaminathan had instructed state authorities to ensure that the sacred lamp was lit atop the hill. However, government officials maintained that this violated the longstanding practice of lighting the lamp at the nearby Deepa Mandapam, a ritual observed for several years.

In the first week of December 2025, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed that the petitioner along with ten others be permitted to go up to the Deepam pillar on the Thirupparankundram hilltop to light the Karthigai Deepam, while ordering the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to provide adequate security, after it found that its earlier order on the ritual had been wilfully disobeyed.

- ANI