The Madras High Court has firmly cleared the way for the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam atop Thiruparankundram hill, endorsing an earlier single-judge order and sharply rebuking the State for what it described as exaggerated and unfounded fears.
A Division Bench at the Madurai Bench ruled that the stone pillar on the lower peak of the hill is indeed a Deepathoon—a traditional lamp pillar—and directed that the ceremonial lamp be lit by the temple administration during the Karthigai Deepam festival. The hill is home to both the Arulmigu Subramania Swamy Temple and the Sikkandar Badhusha Dargah.
The Court ordered that the lamp be lit exclusively by the temple’s team, without public participation, under the supervision of the district administration. The Archaeological Survey of India has been asked to prescribe safeguards to protect the monuments on the hill, while the District Collector will coordinate and oversee the event.
Dismissing objections raised by the State and others, the Bench noted that no credible material had been produced to show that Hindu religious texts or temple customs prohibit lighting a lamp at the location in question. The Court pointed out that neither the temple authorities nor the government had disputed the existence of such a practice at Thiruparankundram.
On claims that law and order would be jeopardised if the lamp were lit, the Court was scathing. It said it was difficult to accept that a powerful State could genuinely fear unrest merely because a lamp was being lit on temple land—unless such unrest was being engineered.
The judges went further, describing the administration’s apprehensions as an “imaginary ghost” that only deepens mistrust between communities. Such speculative fears, the Court observed, cannot override established religious practices.
The Bench also took strong exception to a last-minute claim by the Waqf Board that the stone pillar belonged to the nearby dargah, calling the submission “mischievous.” It noted that a competent civil court had long ago declared the area where the Deepathoon stands to be temple property, leaving the Waqf Board with no standing in the matter.
Reaffirming the cultural context of the ritual, the Court observed that lighting lamps at elevated points is a long-standing Hindu practice, intended to allow devotees at the foothills to witness and worship from afar. When such customs exist, the judges said, there is no valid reason for temple authorities to deny devotees their observance.
The ruling also emphasised that heritage protection and religious practice can coexist. Any concerns about preservation, the Court said, can be addressed through conditions imposed by the ASI rather than by blocking the ritual altogether.
In oral observations, the Bench stressed that its directions were meant to ensure peaceful coexistence on the hill, enabling both Hindu and Muslim communities to practise their faiths without interference. The Constitution and natural resources, the Court remarked, belong to everyone, and religious freedom must be protected so long as it does not disturb others.
The appeals before the Division Bench arose after authorities prevented devotees from lighting the Karthigai Deepam in 2025, citing public order concerns, despite a prior judicial ruling in favour of the practice. That incident led to contempt proceedings, which are still pending.
By dismissing the appeals, the High Court has now drawn a clear line: speculative fears, shifting claims, and administrative hesitation cannot stand in the way of an established religious observance carried out in an orderly and regulated manner.
