Tamil Nadu government challenges court orders on temple land and Karthigai Deepam ritual

The Tamil Nadu government has filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court seeking to overturn a Madras High Court order that permitted the Karthigai Deepam lamp to be lit at the Deepathoon stone pillar on Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai district, a site near a dargah. The appeal was lodged shortly after the new state government took office, and the High Court has urged the parties to reach a negotiated settlement.

In a separate case concerning the Sri Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple at Palani, the Madras High Court recorded the state’s assurance that the 58.76 acres of land acquired around the temple hill will be purchased in the name of the Palani temple rather than the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. This reverses an earlier order that had authorized the acquisition using the HR&CE administration fund, addressing concerns that temple funds should not be used for the department’s purposes.