The Madras High Court’s Madurai bench, comprising Justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan, delivered a significant ruling on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, dismissing multiple appeals against a single judge’s order that mandated the lighting of Karthigai Deepam at an ancient stone lamp pillar on Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai. The division bench affirmed that no doctrinal prohibition from agama shastra or established custom prevented Hindu devotees from performing this annual ritual at the site, despite its proximity to the Hazarath Sultan Sikkandar Badhusha Avuliya Dargah.

In a sharp rebuke to the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government and other appellants—including police authorities, the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board, and dargah representatives—the court described the state's apprehension of public disorder as “ridiculous and hard to believe.” The bench asserted that permitting temple representatives to light the lamp on a single designated day could only lead to disturbances if actively sponsored by the state itself, cautioning against any government resorting to such tactics to pursue a political agenda.

The court found the appellants’ evidence insufficient to substantiate claims of exclusive dargah ownership over the pillar or insurmountable law-and-order risks. Rejecting arguments invoking res judicata from prior litigations, the bench clarified that previous cases had not definitively resolved the core issue. It also dismissed contentions that access difficulties or potential communal tensions justified denying the ritual, noting scepticism toward mediation efforts influenced by competing territorial assertions.

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The controversy stemmed from a December 1, 2025, single judge directive requiring the Arulmigu Subramania Swamy Temple management to conduct the lighting ceremony. Non-compliance on the festival day prompted further orders allowing petitioners to perform it themselves, which also went unexecuted, leading to ongoing contempt proceedings. Challengers contended that no enforceable legal right existed for the devotees and that judicial intervention under Article 226 could not override longstanding practices without clear statutory violations.

The upheld ruling paves the way for resumption of the traditional Karthigai Deepam lighting at the historic hilltop pillar. BJP state president K Annamalai praised the verdict on social media, underscoring the court's observation that the government's cited fears of unrest amounted to an “imaginary ghost” of law-and-order issues, potentially engineered for political gain rather than genuine concern for public harmony.

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