CHENNAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court will pronounce its verdict on Tuesday in the sensitive case relating to the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam at the lamp pillar atop Thiruparankundram in Madurai.
The case arose from a petition filed by Hindu Tamil Party leader Rama Ravikumar, seeking directions to light the Karthigai Deepam at the hilltop lamp pillar. On December 1 last year, a single Judge Justice G. R. Swaminathan allowed the plea and ordered that the ceremonial lamp be lit on the festival day.
However, the order was not implemented after authorities cited possible law-and-order concerns.
Challenging this direction, the Executive Officer of the Thiruparankundram Murugan Temple, the Madurai District Collector, and the Madurai City Police Commissioner filed an appeal before a Division Bench comprising Justice G. Jayachandran and Justice K. K. Ramakrishnan.