States » SouthPosted at: Dec 5 2025 5:27PM


TN Gets breather over temple lamp lighting controversy as court hearings deferred

Chennai: With the lighting of ceremonial lamp atop the Thiruparankundram hillock at the Subramania Swamy temple, close to the Sufi Shrine, Sikkandra Dargah, turning into a judiciary vs executive issue, the Tamil Nadu government has got a breather till next Tuesday as the two contempt petitions before the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court being deferred to next week and the Supreme Court agreeing to examine the plea challenging the High Court quashing the prohibitory orders clamped by Madurai district Collector.
Madurai Collector KJ Praveen Kumar and Commissioner of Police J Loganathan face contempt proceedings before the High Court for defying its orders. The crisis has its genesis in Justice GR Swaminathan passing an order on December 1, on a petition filed by one Rama Ravikumar, directing the temple authorities to make arrangement on (Wednesday) December 3, for lighting of the deepam (lamp) at the stone pillar, also said to be a British era survey marker.
Earlier, the Judge had visited the stone pillar in the vicinity of the 14th century dargah. On December 3, deepam was lit on the pillar at Uchi Pillayar (Vinayaga) temple and Hindu activists were prevented from proceeding to the hill top and in the mele, two policemen were injured. When the petitioner approached with a contempt petition, the Judge allowed the petitioner to light the deepam along with 10 others and directed the CISF to provide security. However, with the Madurai District Collector, KJ Praveen Kumar, promulgating prohibitory orders, the Commissioner of Police foiled the attempt. And on Thursday, a Division Bench dismissed the petition challenging the single judge’s order.
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