Overview
- A Madras High Court single judge ordered the Subramaniya Swamy Temple to light the Karthigai Deepam at the Deepathoon on December 1, 2025, and a division bench upheld that direction on January 6, 2026.
- Contempt proceedings followed alleged non‑compliance, during which the single judge allowed named devotees to light the lamp under CISF protection and quashed a Section 144 prohibitory order.
- The Vijay‑led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government filed a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court on June 11 challenging the High Court rulings, reviving the litigation at the national level.
- On Monday June 22 the Madras High Court urged the parties to mediate, extended interim stays in the contempt-related proceedings and adjourned further hearings while noting the pending Supreme Court appeals.
- The dispute raises competing claims over temple land and the nearby dargah, has provoked political mobilisation, and will test how the courts, police and local authorities balance ritual access, property rights and public order.