Deepam Controversy: Madras HC Upholds Hindu Ritual, Rejects Stalin Govt's Fears

• Madras High Court upheld the right to light Karthigai Deepam on the stone pillar atop Thiruparankundram hills.
• The court dismissed the Stalin government's concerns that the ritual could disturb public peace and communal harmony.
• A division bench of Justices G. Jayachandran and K.K. Ramakrishnan delivered the verdict, dismissing appeals from state officials.
• The court criticized the government's arguments, questioning how lighting a lamp on temple land could disrupt peace.
• The bench rejected the state's claim that the stone pillar was a Dargah, calling it a 'joke'.

Why It Matters: Madras HC affirmed Hindu right to light Deepam, rejecting state's law and order concerns.