Vijay Government Moves Supreme Court In Thirupparankundram Lamp Row. (Image Internet)
New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government led by Chief Minister Joseph Vijay has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court’s orders permitting the lighting of a ceremonial lamp at a stone pillar on Thirupparankundram hill near Madurai.
The petition has been filed against orders passed by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court in the Karthigai Deepam dispute. The High Court had allowed the lighting of the lamp at the stone pillar, known as Deepathoon, on Thirupparankundram hill during the annual festival.
The state government has argued that the location of the pillar, near the Hazarath Sultan Sikkandar Badhusha Avuliya Dargah, could create law-and-order concerns. It has now sought the Supreme Court’s intervention in the matter.
The case originated from a petition filed by Rama Ravikumar and others, who sought directions to light the Deepam at the ancient stone pillar during the Karthigai Deepam festival. On December 1, 2025, a single judge of the High Court allowed the plea and directed that the lamp be lit on the festival day.
The state government, temple management and dargah representatives later challenged the order before a division bench.
On January 6, the division bench upheld the single-judge order. The court observed that the apprehension of law-and-order trouble could not be used as a reason to stop the practice without sufficient material.
The bench also noted that the spot where the stone pillar stands belongs to the Sri Subramania Swamy Temple and said the Waqf Board had no present locus in the issue.
The matter is now before the Supreme Court, where the Vijay government will seek relief against the High Court’s directions. The case has drawn attention because it involves religious practice, public order concerns, temple land claims and inter-community sensitivities. It is also politically significant for the new government in Tamil Nadu, which faces pressure to balance administrative caution with court-backed religious rights.
The Supreme Court’s view will be watched closely, as its decision may determine how the ceremonial lamp-lighting practice is handled in future festivals.
