Deepam row sparks House fire; SC agrees to hear TN govt plea

MADURAI: The row over lighting the lamp on a stone pillar (Deepathoon) on Thiruparankundram hill snowballed, triggering a war of words between BJP and DMK members, and also the Supreme Court on Friday, even as the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court said none should test the court’s patience by targeting the single judge on the basis of his caste.

"Persons violating the law think that there won't be any reaction. Please instruct your clients not to test the patience of the court and degrade the judiciary," said the division bench of justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan while hearing the appeal against Justice GR Swaminathan's order directing the management of the Arulmighu Subrahmanya Swamy temple to facilitate the lighting of the lamp at the Deepathoon (stone pillar) on December 3 evening.

“If you are going to demoralise the institution, the constitution will remain only on paper,” it added.

While the tradition is to light the lamp at the temple premises, the controversy broke out when the single judge allowed the lighting of the lamp on the ancient stone pillar near the Dargah on the hill.

Meanwhile, the issue rocked the Lok Sabha, with DMK leader TR Baalu accusing the BJP of trying to "ignite" communal tensions in Tamil Nadu. DMK members stormed the Well and tried to raise the issue and forced the adjournment of the Question Hour.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Baalu alleged that the judge, who permitted lighting of the lamp, owed allegiance to a particular ideology. "Who should light the deepam on the hill? Whether the Hindu Religious Endowment Board representative or some miscreants who have got a judgment from a Madras High Court's judge?" asked Baalu.

The reference to the judge's ideology drew a sharp riposte from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who asserted that the DMK leader cannot cast aspersions on the judiciary and urged the chair to delete the remarks.

"The state government is targeting a particular community and law and order of that region is being vitiated," added Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan.

Elsewhere, a Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Friday agreed to consider listing the government’s plea challenging the HC order before a bench.

When a lawyer representing the State government mentioned the matter, a counsel for the respondents accused the government of creating “unnecessary drama” merely to convey to the High Court that the issue had been brought to the notice of the Supreme Court.