CHENNAI: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) and the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee on Tuesday expressed serious reservations over the Madurai High Court Division Bench verdict upholding a single judge order on lighting the deepam at Tirupparankundram hill deepathoon, calling for appropriate legal steps to safeguard public harmony.
In a statement, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam said the judgment was not in consonance with law, constitutional values or established principles of justice. He noted the observations and criticisms directed at the State government failed to adequately appreciate the nature of the dispute and the sensitivities involved.
Devotees, he noted, had for generations emotionally accepted the practice of lighting the deepam at the Ucchi Pillayar temple, and there had never been a genuine demand to shift the ritual to another location.
He alleged that the issue was being raised by certain organisations operating with political motives under a religious cover and repeatedly engaging in campaigns detrimental to communal harmony.
Criticising the court for rejecting the State’s apprehension of a breach of public peace, he said the burden of proof had been wrongly placed on the government instead of on those seeking a change in long-standing practice. Such reasoning, he argued, ran contrary to judicial principles and risked emboldening groups that thrive on creating tension.
Terming the selective reliance on earlier judgments and certain spiritual references inappropriate, Shanmugam said true light lay in peace and harmony, not confrontation. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to file an appeal against the verdict.
TNCC president K Selvaperunthagai told reporters that court verdicts must be respected, but stressed that public safety was paramount. He urged the State to seek appropriate legal remedies, including approaching the Supreme Court, to ensure law and order and communal amity were preserved.