In Madurai Temple Lamp Row, Court Summons Tamil Nadu Top Official, Cop

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary and Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) to appear before the court through video conference on December 17 in the Thirupparankundram lamp lighting row case.

The Thirupparankundram Subramaniaswamy temple case revolves around the lighting of a festival lamp on one of two ancient pillars, called 'deepathon', on a hill in Tamil Nadu's Madurai.

Madras High Court judge GR Swaminathan, hearing the contempt petition filed by Rama Ravikumar, directed the top officials to appear before the court.

The Union Home Secretary has been included as a party to the proceedings.

Ravikumar had moved the court seeking proceedings against the Madurai district collector, Commissioner of Police, and the Executive Officer of Arulmighu Subramanya Swamy temple, Thirupparankundram, for not complying with the court's earlier orders.

The counsel for the petitioner said the authorities were "attempting to drag the case without complying with the court's order." 

Later, speaking to reporters, advocate Karthikeyan N said a statutory notice has been issued to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Madurai, asking why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him.

Additional Advocate General Veera Kathiravan, appearing for the state, informed that a special leave petition filed by the Tamil Nadu authorities challenging the single judge order on lighting the lamp atop the Thirupparankundram hill was pending before the Supreme Court.

On December 1, Justice Swaminathan had ordered the temple management to arrange the lighting of the lamp on a stone pillar in Thirupparankundram hill during Karthigai Deepam festival on December 3.

However, when the event did not take place despite the court order, the judge permitted the petitioner and ten others to light the lamp with CISF protection on the evening of December 3.

While admitting the contempt plea on December 4, the court quashed the prohibitory order enforced by the district collector during the Karthigai Deepam festival.

In another development on Tuesday, over 120 opposition MPs - including the Congress' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadv - presented a proposal to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to impeach Madras High Court judge Justice GR Swaminathan over his rulings in the Thirupparankundram Subramaniaswamy temple case.