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The Supreme Court on Friday, January 23, sought responses from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Union and Tamil Nadu governments on a petition seeking directions for the ASI to take over the Thiruparankundram Arulmigu Subramania Swamy Temple in Madurai.
A bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi sought responses to the plea filed by the Hindu Dharma Parishad, which also asked that the lamp on the deepathon (stone pillar) at the hilltop be lit all the day and that the entire hill be illuminated on the day of Karthigai Deepam every year, allowing devotees to worship without any hindrance.
During the hearing, the Bench asked whether the matter was still pending before the Madras High Court. The Counsel for the Tamil Nadu government informed the court that a division bench of the High Court on January 6 had upheld a single judge’s order permitting the lighting of the lamp and that parties were contemplating filing a special leave petition challenging the order.
The Thiruparankundram hill has been at the centre of controversy since January 2025, after animal sacrifice was banned at the Sufi shrine.
The dispute arose from a petition filed by Rama Ravikumar, state general secretary of the Hindu Munnani, seeking permission to light the Karthigai Deepam not only at the Uchchi Pillaiyar temple, where the ritual is traditionally performed, but also at a stone pillar situated on the higher peak of the hill, less than 50 metres from the dargah.
Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras High Court had allowed the plea, holding that the lamp could be lit at both locations.
However, the state government had refused permission, citing potential law and order issues, and imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc), later a contempt petition was filed against the district administration.
On December 3, the judge quashed the prohibitory orders, allowed devotees to light the deepam themselves with Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) protection, and summoned the state officials for non-compliance.
On January 6, a division bench of the Madurai bench of Madras High Court, comprising Justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan upheld the Justice GR Swaminathan order permitting the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam at a stone pillar (Deepathon) located near a dargah on the Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai.
