Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court against HC allowing lighting of lamp atop Thiruparankundram hill

The new Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu has moved the Supreme Court against a Madras High Court order from January that allowed the lighting of a lamp at a stone pillar on Thiruparankundram hill near Madurai, Live Law reported on Tuesday.

The Vijay-led government had challenged the High Court order on June 11.

On December 1, High Court judge GR Swaminathan ruled that the stone pillar on Thiruparankundram hill near Madurai, Tamil Nadu, was a deepathoon, or a structure designed to hold lamps, and that the temple should restore the tradition of lighting the lamp at the site. This came after some temple devotees had sought permission to light a lamp at the stone pillar.

Swaminathan had also held that the practice would not infringe upon the religious rights of the nearby Muslim shrine.

The hillock has the Arulmigu Subramania Swamy temple and the Sikkandar Badhusha dargah.

The previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, the temple authorities and the dargah management, among others, had challenged the order of the single judge, raising concerns about law and order, ownership of the site and the nature of the ritual that had been allowed.

On January 6, another bench of the High Court upheld Swaminathan’s order, observing that the stone pillar is located on the land that belongs to the Subramania...

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