Overview
- The Supreme Court bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha, Aravind Kumar and Shree Chandrashekhar refused to interfere with the Madras High Court order in a June 2 judgment and reduced the exemplary cost on the petitioner from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 5,000.
- The High Court had dismissed the public interest petition filed by K.K. Ramesh of the Hindu Dharma Parishad and criticised the litigation as politically motivated when it imposed the original costs on April 9.
- Earlier rulings by a single judge had found the stone pillar on Thiruparankundram hill to be a deepathoon belonging to the Subramaniya Swamy temple and allowed lamp-lighting in principle while a later bench limited the act to temple management without public accompaniment.
- Contempt proceedings and state implementation disputes followed the single judge's orders, including a contempt petition and directions involving the district administration and CISF security, but the Supreme Court left those High Court directions and limits on public access intact.
- The case highlights how courts are balancing religious practice, claims of site ownership and public-order concerns at a hill that houses both a Hindu temple and a Muslim dargah and may shape how authorities manage ritual access and security at shared sacred sites going forward.