Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a prominent Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, who appeared in the Court on behalf of the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government.
His role was to challenge a Madras High Court order allowing Hindu devotees to light the Deepam at the ancient “Deepathoon”—a stone lamp pillar atop the hill—effectively seeking to prevent the ritual from taking place.
The Karthigai Deepam festival, celebrated annually in the Tamil month of Karthigai (typically November-December), commemorates the triumph of light over darkness. At Thirupparankundram, the ritual involves lighting a massive lamp atop the hill’s Deepathoon, a towering stone pillar believed to date back centuries.
The turning point came on December 1, 2025, when Justice G.R. Swaminathan of the Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench issued a landmark order. In response to Ravikumar’s petition, the judge directed the Subramaniya Swamy Temple administration to light the Karthigai Deepam at the Deepathoon “from this year onwards,” alongside the usual sites.
But the DMK government, led by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, refused to comply. Instead, it clamped fresh prohibitory orders across Thirupparankundram, detaining devotees—including BJP leaders like state president Nainar Nagendran and senior figure H. Raja—who attempted to ascend the hill under Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) protection.
Protests erupted, with Hindu outfits accusing the state of “anti-Hindu bias” to appease minority voters ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
On December 3, Ravikumar filed a contempt petition, alleging deliberate defiance. Justice Swaminathan, visibly frustrated, summoned district officials and permitted the petitioner and nine associates to light the lamp themselves under police escort. When even this was thwarted, the court escalated: on December 4, it dismissed the state’s appeal and reiterated the directive, lambasting the administration for “nullifying” judicial authority.
Enter Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared on behalf of the DMK government, requesting just a brief window to present initial arguments. However, the court firmly deferred any substantive discussions, emphasizing a comprehensive review of all appeals together.
Singhvi contended that the state’s petition ought to take precedence over the Letter Patent Appeal process, but the judges clarified they would evaluate the case on its substantive merits during the full hearing. The bench also ruled that only existing parties could participate, barring any new interventions or impleadments.
What Has Happened So Far
On 1 December 2025, Justice G.R. Swaminathan unambiguously ruled that the Karthigai Deepam must be lit at the ancient Deepathoon atop the hill, not at the Uchipillaiyar mandapam as insisted by the DMK-aligned administration. His order was based on a 1923 decree and subsequent Privy Council rulings affirming the temple’s ownership of the hill.
The state simply refused to comply. Instead it issued prohibitory orders, blocked devotees, moved hurried appeals, and invoked “law and order” to prevent execution of a judicial direction. Even after a contempt order permitting devotees to ascend with CISF protection, police physically stopped them. The Division Bench later observed that the state had “wilfully decided” not to obey the court.
Rather than respecting the judiciary, the DMK escalated its defiance—filing appeals, manipulating administrative orders, and even submitting misleading documents attributed to priests. The HR&CE Department, police and district administration functioned as an anti-Hindu enforcement arm, prioritising “minority sensitivities” over constitutional rights.
As of December 7, 2025, the lamp has not been lit at Deepathoon. The BJP and Hindu Munnani has annouced a state-wide protest against the DMK government for its attempt to curtail religious rights of Hindus.
By deploying senior leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi to argue the DMK’s case, Congress has effectively lent its national stature to the state’s efforts to suppress a millennia-old Hindu ritual
This move aligns with the INDI Alliance’s broader agenda of ‘eradicating Sanatana Dharma’.
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