Thiruparankundram hill lamp row: SC dismisses plea for action against officials

The Supreme Court has refused to interfere with the Madras High Court order, which dismissed a plea seeking action against officials who denied permission to Hindu devotees to light a lamp on Thiruparankundram hill but allowed religious celebrations during Ramzan. A bench of justices PS Narasimha, Aravind Kumar and Shree Chandrashekhar refused to interfere with the order of the Madurai bench of the high court but reduced the cost imposed on the petitioner Hindu Dharma Parishad. “While we are not inclined to interfere with the impugned order passed by the high court, we are of the opinion that imposition of costs quantified at Rs 50,000 is on the excessive side and can be reduced to Rs 5,000 in the facts and circumstances of the case. Ordered accordingly,” it said in its order of June 2. The bench said that the rest of the order of the high court would remain unaltered.

“Rest of the impugned order shall remain unaltered. With this clarification, the Special Leave Petition is dismissed,” it said. On April 9, the high court dismissed the plea for direction to the central government and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to instruct the Tamil Nadu government to take action against officials who denied permission to Hindu devotees to light a lamp on Thiruparankundram hill, but granted permission for religious celebrations of Ramzan on the hill.

The high court had passed the order while hearing a PIL filed by KK Ramesh, managing trustee of Hindu Dharma Parishad in Madurai.

The petitioner had stated that the Madurai district administration and police officials prevented the lighting of Karthigai Deepam atop Thiruparankundram hill by devotees, disregarding the earlier order passed by the high court.