CPM slams court order, seeks action against judge

CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam on Friday accused Hindutva groups, including the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits, of attempting to turn the Tiruparankunram Karthigai Deepam festival into a flashpoint.

Speaking to reporters after a demonstration outside the Madras High Court, he said their activities had created tension in Tamil Nadu over the past week. He criticised Madurai Bench judge GR Swaminathan for his order permitting the lighting of the festival lamp at a new location on the hill, alleging that it supported groups seeking to provoke unrest. Courts, he said, were approached with the hope of justice, but incorrect orders could create serious consequences. He described the judge’s subsequent direction to implement the order as regrettable and welcomed the State government’s appeal before the Supreme Court.

Shanmugam said the long-standing practice was to light the lamp near the Pillaiyar temple, and an existing 2014 division bench order supported this tradition. A single judge, he argued, should not have issued a conflicting direction. The State was right in refusing to enforce it and in ensuring that the festival proceeded as usual.

Accusing the judge of acting in favour of Hindutva forces and against secular principles, he said several of his past rulings reflected bias. The CPM would soon submit a complaint to the Chief Justice of India seeking his removal and pursue impeachment through the INDIA bloc MPs.

He said the BJP was trying to gain political mileage ahead of the 2026 Assembly election by creating unrest. On claims that the police had arrested devotees, he said leaders making such statements must first identify who the genuine devotees were and who the “communal elements” were, adding that he would ask the Chief Minister to release genuine devotees if provided with a list.

Meanwhile, Shanmugam on Friday criticised AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami for his stand on the Thiruparankundram hill issue. In a post on X, he said Palaniswami must explain to the people of Tamil Nadu why a lamp should be lit at a new spot on the hill, irrespective of the court verdict, and clarify whether the move was driven solely by devotion to Murugan. He asked if the AIADMK leader was prepared to give such an explanation. Shanmugam also questioned whether supporting everything done by the BJP without scrutiny had become Palaniswami’s policy.

On Thursday, Palaniswami issued a statement accusing the DMK government of failing to implement the Madras High Court’s single-judge order relating to the lighting of the lamp at the peak of the Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai. He said the lapse had led to unnecessary tension over the last two days and accused the State government of staging a deceptive political drama.