The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on a writ petition seeking the takeover of the Arulmigu Subramania Swamy temple at Thirupparankundram hill near Madurai in Tamil Nadu by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and other central agencies.
The petition has been filed by the Hindu Dharma Parishad, a Hindutva group. Apart from the takeover request, the plea also seeks permission to permanently light a lamp on a stone pillar located on the hill, which is home to both the Subramania Swamy temple and the Sikkandar Badhusha dargah.
The petition further asks the court to allow the entire hill to be illuminated with lamps during the Karthigai Deepam festival, held annually in November or December, and to permit devotees to offer prayers at the site on that day.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi issued notice to the Union government, the ASI, the Tamil Nadu government, the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department, the Madurai district collector, the Madurai police commissioner, and the temple’s executive officer.
During the hearing, the bench asked whether related issues were still pending before the Madras High Court.
Counsel appearing for the Tamil Nadu government informed the Supreme Court that the High Court had already ruled on one part of the dispute—permission to light a lamp on the stone pillar. On January 6, a division bench of the Madras High Court upheld an earlier order allowing the lighting of the lamp. The counsel added that the parties were considering filing a special leave petition challenging that decision.
The dispute over the lamp began when temple devotees sought permission to light it on the stone pillar. On December 1, a single judge of the Madras High Court, Justice G.R. Swaminathan, held that the pillar was a deepathoon - a structure traditionally meant for lighting lamps—and directed that the practice be restored. The judge also ruled that lighting the lamp would not infringe upon the religious rights of the nearby dargah.
The Tamil Nadu government, temple authorities, and the dargah management challenged this order, citing concerns related to law and order, ownership of the site, and the nature of the ritual.
On January 6, a division bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justices G. Jayachandran and K.K. Ramakrishnan upheld Justice Swaminathan’s ruling, observing that the stone pillar is located on land belonging to the temple.
The Supreme Court has now issued notice on the broader petition, which goes beyond the lamp-related issue and seeks ASI control over the temple and additional permissions related to religious practices on the hill.