The Supreme Court on Monday declined to grant an interim stay on a Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court order permitting the lighting of a lamp on the hilltop lamp pillar at Thiruparankundram in Madurai district.
A Bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul Pancholi questioned the Tamil Nadu government on why it approached the apex court with an appeal about six months after the High Court’s decision, and indicated it was not inclined to halt the operation of the order at this stage.
The dispute traces back to last year’s Karthigai Deepam festival, when the lighting of the lamp on the hilltop pillar at the Murugan temple became contentious. A petition filed by Ram Ravikumar of the Hindu Tamilar Katchi sought permission to light the lamp, following which a single judge had directed that the lamp could be lit on December 1, 2025.
After the lamp was not lit on December 3, a contempt petition was moved, and the single judge later directed that the petitioner and 10 others be allowed to light the lamp on December 4. The state challenged the single judge’s directions before a division bench, which on January 6 upheld the order, stating the government’s law-and-order apprehensions were “imaginary” and that the area belonged to the Subramaniya Swamy temple, with no rights for the Wakf Board.
In the Supreme Court, notices were issued seeking responses from the Madurai Collector, the city Police Commissioner and the Joint Commissioner of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, besides the respondents including Ravikumar. The matter was adjourned for further hearing.
