Thiruparankundram row: Tamil Nadu acting according to 2014 judgment, says minister

Chennai, Dec 4 (PTI) Tamil Nadu is acting according to the 2014 judgment on Thiruparankundram, state minister S Regupathy said on Thursday.

A joint press briefing was called by him and DMK Organising Secretary R S Bharathi late Thursday, following the dismissal of the appeal filed by the government in the ongoing controversy regarding the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam at Thiruparankundram in Madurai.

After a standoff between a section of devotees and Thiruparankundram temple management, a single judge Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed the petitioner to light a lamp on an ancient stone pillar near a Dargah on the Thiruparankundram hill here on Karthigai Deepam, with CISF protection, on December 3.

However, the Tamil Nadu government not only prevented the lighting of the lamp by issuing a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the BNSS, but also filed an appeal against the judgment of Justice G R Swaminathan.

A bench of two judges who heard the case on Thursday dismissed the petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government.

"If they come requesting for implementation of a new verdict from a single judge, obtained without setting aside that Division Bench ruling or filing an appeal against it, how can we allow it to be implemented? You know what charges will be brought against the Tamil Nadu government if we allow it. Therefore, we are acting according to the 2014 judgment," he told reporters here.

According to him, the 2014 verdict by Justice Bhavani Subbarayan and Justice Kalyanasundaram held that the Karthigai Deepam must be lit only in the place where it is traditionally lit.

"However, those who did not know this approached the court the day before yesterday as if they had discovered something new, asking for permission to light the Karthigai Deepam, specifying a location, and that judge also delivered a verdict," the minister for Natural Resources, said.

He also accused Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami of conveniently forgetting the fact that the AIADMK had once argued in court that the lamp should be lit only in the place where it is traditionally lit.

"The 2014 verdict regarding this issue was delivered during the rule of J Jayalalithaa whom they greatly praise. If the verdict was wrong, she herself would have appealed then," Regupathy added.

Stating that the actions of the Hindu organisations are viewed as the same as the actions of the BJP, Reghupathy alleged that the communal forces and Hindutva organisations are trying to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu by any means possible.

"These Hindutva organisations are currently confused about what issue to take up. But Karthigai Deepam is a festival to celebrate Tamil God Murugan; it is a festival of the Tamils. Tamils all over the world celebrate it. Hindutva has no role in this," the minister said.

When asked about the next step now that the appeal is dismissed, Regupathy said, "We will examine what legal remedies are available through the Law Department and take action." PTI JR JR SA