Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 6 : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson C R Kesavan lauded the Madras High Court's judgment, which upheld Justice GR Swaminathan's order regarding the lighting of lamps on the "Deepathoon" in Tirupparankundram temple on Tuesday.
Appreciating the judgment, Kesavan called it a massive defeat for the DMK government's "bigoted appeasement politics". He demanded that the DMK government apologise to the Hindu devotees for allegedly insulting their sentiments and faith. The BJP leader also slammed the DMK and Congress for their "double-faced and divisive politics", saying that their true intentions had been exposed by the court's verdict.
In a post on X, Kesavan said, "#tiruparankundram , Satyameva Jayate ! vaaymaiyee vellum! This is a massive defeat to the bigoted appeasement politics of the DMK Govt which has been repeatedly hurting the sentiments of Tamil people. The DMK Government must immediately apologise to the crores of Hindu devotees for having repeatedly insulted their sentiments and faith. The sacred Karthigai Deepam will be lit at the Deepathoon and will once again gloriously shine atop the Thiruparankundram Hill. The double faced dangerous divisive politics of the DMK & Congress stands totally exposed before the people today".
Earlier, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court upheld Justice GR Swaminathan's order regarding the lighting of lamps on the "Deepathoon" at the Tirupparankundram temple.
The bench, consisting of Justices G Jayachandran and KK Ramakrishnan, observed that the district administration ought to have treated the issue as an opportunity to bridge the gap between the communities through mediation. It further held that, since the hill is a protected site, any activity there must strictly comply with the Act's provisions. The Court clarified that the lamp may be lit and the number of persons permitted can be fixed, subject to consultation with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Petitioner Rajesh called the court's order remarkable, stating that the lamp should be lit on a Deepathoon and the temple administration should make the necessary arrangements for it. He said that the arguments presented by the state government on the matter were rejected by the court.
Rajesh asserted that the verdict is a victory for Hindus in Tamil Nadu and for devotees of Murugan.
"The court has delivered a remarkable verdict. The government's appeal petition has been dismissed. The lamp should be lit on a Deepathoon and the temple administration should make the necessary arrangements for it. The arguments presented by the government today, citing the possibility of law and order issues, were rejected by the court, which observed that they reflected the government's inaction. This verdict is a victory for the Hindus of Tamil Nadu and for Murugan devotees, including students," he said.