The Madras High Court upheld an order to light a ceremonial lamp at Tirupparankundram temple, drawing praise from devotees. The BJP celebrated the verdict as a victory for Hindus and slammed the ruling DMK for its alleged 'anti-Hindu politics'.
The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday upheld Justice GR Swaminathan's order regarding the lighting of lamps on the "Deepathoon" in Tirupparankundram temple, a landmark ruling that promptly garnered appreciation from the people and the opposition parties, including the BJP.
The bench, consisting of Justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan, observed that the district administration ought to have treated the issue as an opportunity to bridge the gap between the communities through mediation. It further held that, since the hill is a protected site, any activity there must strictly comply with the Act's provisions. The Court clarified that the lamp may be lit and the number of persons permitted can be fixed, subject to consultation with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Petitioner Rajesh called the court's order remarkable, stating that the lamp should be lit on a Deepathoon and the temple administration should make the necessary arrangements for it. He said the court rejected the state government's arguments on the matter. Rajesh asserted that the verdict is a victory for Hindus in Tamil Nadu and for devotees of Murugan. Following the order permitting the lighting of a ceremonial lamp atop the Thiruparankundram Hill, devotees broke 108 coconuts in front of the temple entrance as part of thanksgiving rituals, expressing their joy over the high court's decision.
BJP Slams DMK, Alleges 'Bigoted Appeasement Politics'
Whereas, various political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders launched attacks against the ruling DMK for "anti-Hindu politics." Union Minister Piyush Goyal expressed satisfaction over the verdict, accusing the Tamil Nadu government of attempting to eradicate 'Sanatan Dharma' from the state.
Goyal Links Ruling to 'Sanatana Dharma' Remarks
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Goyal stated that Tamil Nadu deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin made an audacious and reprehensible demand to eradicate Sanatana Dharma itself in September 2023. He added that a few months later, the lighting of the lamp on the Thiruparankundram Hill associated with Lord Kartikeya and Bhagwan Murgan was prohibited.
"It is not a mere coincidence that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin, his son Udhayanidhi Stalin and other senior leaders of the DMK have consistently berated, derided and attacked Sanatan Dharma. On 2nd September 2023, Udhayanidhi Stalin made an audacious and reprehensible demand for the eradication of Sanatana Dharma itself and for the first time, a few months after that, the lighting of the lamp on the Thiruparankundram Hill associated with Lord Kartikeya, Bhagwan Murgan, was prevented," he said. Goyal said that it was a matter of great satisfaction that the High Court of Tamil Nadu gave justice to the devotees of this very old and ancient temple atop the Tirupparankundram hills, where Lord Murugan resides.
'Massive Defeat for DMK': CR Kesavan
Meanwhile, BJP National Spokesperson C R Kesavan lauded the judgment, calling it a massive defeat for the DMK government's "bigoted appeasement politics." He demanded that the DMK government apologise to the Hindu devotees for allegedly insulting their sentiments and faith. The BJP leader also slammed the DMK and Congress for their "double-faced and divisive politics", saying that the court's verdict had exposed their true intentions.
In a post on X, Kesavan said, "#tiruparankundram, Satyameva Jayate ! vaaymaiyee vellum! This is a massive defeat to the bigoted appeasement politics of the DMK Govt which has been repeatedly hurting the sentiments of Tamil people. The DMK Government must immediately apologise to the crores of Hindu devotees for having repeatedly insulted their sentiments and faith."
This comes as in December 2025, over 100 INDIA bloc MPs from the Lok Sabha during the Winter session submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding an impeachment motion against Madras HC judge Justice Swaminathan, who ordered Subramaniya Swamy temple authorities to light a traditional lamp at a stone pillar near a dargah, atop a hillock in Tamil Nadu. The letter calling for impeachment of the judge drew massive criticism from various groups.
'Basic Right of Hindus': Tamilisai Soundararajan
BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan welcomed the verdict as "the basic right of Hindus," reiterating the state President's request to celebrate the verdict. "Today our state president has requested each and every one to celebrate the verdict. To celebrate it, he asked us to light the lamp in our houses. You can see the police today. To light the lamp in my house, three police vans have come. So, if we light the lamp itself, so many policemen want to surround us. Okay. That itself shows how they are fearing the BJP," she said.
"Today, because our president told us we have celebrated it, and this is the basic right of the Hindus that has been respected, and we thank the court for respecting the sentiments of the Hindus...," the BJP leader rejoiced.
Annamalai Hopes Govt Won't 'Misuse Power'
Further applauding the verdict, BJP leader K Annamalai expressed hope that the incumbent DMK-led state government would not "blatantly misuse its power." Annamalai highlighted that the court found it difficult to understand how the state could fear that allowing temple representatives and devotees to light a lamp on a single day would disturb public peace.
"In their order, the Honourable Judges observed that it is difficult to comprehend how a mighty State could harbour the fear that permitting representatives of the Temple and devotees to light a lamp on the stone pillar on a single day in a year would disturb public peace. The Court categorically noted that such a disturbance could arise only if the State itself were to sponsor it," said Annamalai in an X post.
'A Game Between BJP and DMK': TVK
On similar lines, TVK national spokesperson, Felix Gerald, levelled accusations on DMK for politicising the issue for the 2026 elections, adding that it's a game between the BJP and DMK. "The court has ridiculed the Govt. It is a shadow boxing between the BJP and DMK. DMK had no other narrative to face the 2026 elections, so they politicised this issue. This was a highly politicised issue, keeping in mind the 2026 elections. Now they have been exposed. They will drag this issue till the election and try to intensify the issue. But people know the actual game. It's a game between BJP and DMK...," Gerald accused.
Further commenting on the possibility of DMK moving to the Supreme Court to challenge the High Court order, Gerald said that the ruling party wants to "intensify the matter." "They (DMK) will be going to the Supreme Court, as I said they want to intensify as we come closer to the elections," he added.
Background of the Row
The row had erupted after Justice GR Swaminathan had instructed state authorities to ensure that the sacred lamp was lit atop the hill. However, government officials maintained that this violated the longstanding practice of lighting the lamp at the nearby Deepa Mandapam, a ritual observed for several years.
In the first week of December 2025, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed that the petitioner along with ten others be permitted to go up to the Deepam pillar on the Thirupparankundram hilltop to light the Karthigai Deepam, while ordering the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to provide adequate security, after it found that its earlier order on the ritual had been wilfully disobeyed. (ANI)
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