TN defies HC for 2nd time in 2 days on hilltop lamp ritual

MADURAI: The Karthigai Deepam contented has snowballed into a large contention successful Tamil Nadu, with the authorities govt Thursday defying for the 2nd clip a Madras HC bid allowing lighting of the lamp astatine Deepathoon (a chromatic lamp pillar) atop Thiruparankundram hills, adjacent arsenic a part seat of the HC rejected its entreaty against a contempt order.

Meanwhile, BJP authorities main Nainar Nagendran and dozens of others were detained by constabulary during protests.State govt filed an SLP successful the Supreme Court challenging the part seat order, which dismissed its entreaty against a azygous seat bid connected a contempt plea.Earlier successful the day, the seat of Justices G Jayachandran and K K Ramakrishnan dismissed the state’s appeal, saying it was meant to preempt contempt action.

The seat upheld Justice G R Swaminathan’s orders permitting lighting of the lamp astatine Deepathoon with CISF protection. The azygous seat had besides initiated contempt proceedings Wednesday aft the Deepam was lit astatine Uchi Pillaiyar Temple, not astatine Deepathoon atop the hill, arsenic directed by it connected Dec 1.Despite the single-bench bid connected Wednesday, constabulary had prevented the petitioner and 10 others, who had been allowed to airy the lamp astatine Deepathoon, from proceeding to the hills citing prohibitory orders.

Following the rejection of the state’s entreaty Thursday, Justice Swaminathan resumed the contempt proceedings, quashed the prohibitory orders imposed by Madurai territory administration, and erstwhile again permitted lighting of the lamp atop the hill, this clip nether extortion of Madurai metropolis police. If officials defied the order, “harsh consequences volition ensue”, the justice said.However, constabulary erstwhile again stopped the individuals from proceeding, saying it would beryllium detrimental to nationalist order.

It was a re-enactment of the country from Wednesday astatine the Thiruparankundram foothills, with hundreds of BJP workers and Hindu radical activists protesting against authorities govt, and implicit 1,000 constabulary unit deployed. BJP’s Nagendran had an statement with constabulary earlier helium was detained on with respective others, including H Raja and Amarprasad Reddy, and astir 50 cadres to forestall them from proceeding to the hills.Meanwhile, the HC part seat volition connected Dec 5 instrumentality up the appeals filed by Madurai territory collector and enforcement serviceman of the Subramaniya Swamy temple authorities, challenging the bid passed by the azygous seat allowing the lamp to beryllium lit astatine Deepathoon.Justice Swaminathan had Monday allowed Rama Ravikumar and different petitioners to airy the lamp astatine Deepathoon, brushing speech objections connected proximity of the tract to a dargah and the information that the lamp has been lit astatine Uchi Pillaiyar Temple for decades.