TN gets breather in row over lighting ‘deepam’ atop Thiruparankundram hillock

With the lighting of ‘deepam’ atop the Thiruparankundram hillock above the Subramania Swamy temple turning into a judiciary versus executive issue, the Tamil Nadu government has got a breather 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 K J Praveen Kumar and Commissioner of Police J Loganathan face contempt proceedings before the High Court for defying its orders.

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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 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.

Then, Justice Swaminathan, quashing the prohibitory orders, directed the petitioner and 10 others to light the deepam that evening itself with police protection. However, police denied permission citing law and order problems and arrested State BJP chief Nainar Nagendran and 500 others for unlawful assembly.

Earlier in the day, the Division Bench of Justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan, which heard the petition of the Temple Executive Officer (EO) against the December 1 order, posted the matter to next Friday, December 12.

Similarly, Justice Swaminathan, hearing the contempt plea against the Collector, Commissioner and Temple EO, took note of the state government filing an SLP in the Supreme Court and posted the case to next Tuesday.