Supreme Court Issues Notice On Tamil Nadu's Plea Against HC's Order Permitting Karthigai Deepam Lighting Atop Thiruparankundram Hill

The Supreme Court issued notice in the Special Leave Petition filed by the State of Tamil Nadu assailing the order passed by the Division Bench of the Madras High Court permitting the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam on a stone pillar located on the lower peak of the Thiruparankundram hillock.

On January 6, 2026, the Division Bench of the High Court confirmed the order passed by the Single Bench. In December 2025, the Single Bench had directed the Temple Management to light the Karthigai Deepam at Dheepathoon (Ancient Stone Lamp Pillar), situated on the Thirupparankundram Hill Top.

The Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Vipul M Pancholi issued a notice to original petitioners Rama Ravikumar and others but refused to stay the high court order.

The Division Bench of the High Court had also given guidelines to allow both Muslim and Hindu communities to celebrate the festivals without any disturbance. The Court further ruled that the temple must fulfil the devotees' request to light the lamp at the elevated Deepathoon, provided that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) sets preservation conditions and the public is restricted from accompanying officials during the ceremony. To ensure order and safety, the event will be conducted under the direct supervision of the District Collector.

Against this, a petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India was filed before the Supreme Court seeking the issue of writ of mandamus or any other appropriate direction to the ASI. The Supreme Court had already issued notice in a petition seeking to take over the entire Thirupparankundram Temple by the Archaeological Survey of India

Another Special Leave Petition was also filed before the Supreme Court assailing the order of the Madras High Court confirming the decision permitting the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam.

On December 4, 2025, despite an order of the Madras High Court passed in a contempt of court case allowing lighting of the Karthigai Deepam atop Thiruparankundram Hill, Madurai, by the Petitioner under protective escort by the CISF, Tamil Nadu Police prevented the ritual, triggering protests. A Bench of Justice G. R. Swaminathan, in a contempt petition, passed the directions allowing the petitioners to light the deepam under CISF protection after the temple management and the state had failed to comply with its previous order.

On December 1, 2025, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court had heard writ petitions filed by devotees seeking restoration of the tradition of lighting the Karthigai Deepam at the ancient “Deepathoon”, a lamp-pillar on Thiruparankundram Hill historically used for ritual lighting. The temple authorities had decided, for this year, to limit the ceremony to the lower-hill mandapam near Uchipillaiyar shrine, citing proximity to the dargah atop the hill.

Justice Swaminathan, while rejecting their objections, referencing a 1923 civil decree affirming the temple’s title over the hill, upheld later by the Privy Council, held that the Deepathoon stood in unoccupied temple property and outside the dargah precinct. The Court quashed the Executive Officer’s decision to confine lighting to the mandapam and directed that the Deepam be lit at Deepathoon this year, ordering police protection to ensure enforcement.

Thiruparankundram Hill houses the centuries-old Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple at its foot and the Sikandar Badusha Dargah atop, a status that has long generated religious and communal sensitivities. Over decades, the traditional hill-top lamp lighting during the Tamil month of Karthigai was progressively curtailed, with lighting restricted to lower-hill structures near the mandapam.

The Single Bench had also reprimanded the Government Officials while considering the contempt proceedings alleging non-compliance of the earlier orders related to the Karthigai Thiruparankundram Deepam issue. The High Court further stated that law and order cannot be a ground for flouting a court's order.

The Petitioner, namely Rama Ravikumar, who claimed to be a devout follower of Lord Muruga, had applied to the Executive Officer of Arulmigu Subramania Swamy Temple, Thirupparankundram, seeking permission to light the Karthigai Deepam for this year. In response thereto, the Executive Officer of the Temple informed the Petitioner that as per the established custom of the temple, Karthigai Deepam would be lit in the Deepa Mandapam near the Uchi Pillaiyar Temple that is located halfway up the hill.

Cause Title: The Commissioner v. Rama Ravikumar and Ors. [Diary No. 36337 / 2026]