The Supreme Court on Monday, August 3, issued notice on a plea filed by the Tamil Nadu government challenging a Madras High Court order permitting the lighting of the traditional Karthigai Deepam at the ‘deepa thoon’ (lamp pillar) situated atop the Thiruparankundram hill near a dargah in Madurai district. A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi sought responses from the original writ petitioners before the Madras High Court and other respondents and tagged the matter with a connected pending case for further hearing. However, the apex court declined the state government’s request for an ex parte stay on the operation of the Madras High Court’s order and merely issued notice on the stay application. In its judgment, the single judge had described the authorities’ apprehensions as an “imaginary ghost” and questioned why a government vested with extensive administrative and policing powers would be unable to maintain peace during a religious event conducted on temple land. The High Court had observed that allowing a limited number of temple representatives to light a ceremonial lamp at the designated stone pillar on a single day each year could not be regarded as an unmanageable law and order exercise. It had also cautioned the state government against pursuing any political agenda through such objections and stressed that ensuring peaceful worship formed part of the state’s constitutional responsibility.