Karthigai Deepam Row: SC Upholds Madras HC Order Which Says Muslims Can Only Worship At Madurai Hilltop On Ramzan, Bakri-Eid

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday, declined to interfere with a Madras High Court judgment that had permitted the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam at a hilltop stone pillar at the Nellithoppu area of the Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu, upholding limits on Muslim prayers and prohibiting animal sacrifice at the site. Refusing to intervene in the matter, the Supreme Court has described the high court’s ruling as a “balanced” order.

A Bench with Justices Aravind Kumar and P.B. Varale upheld the October 2025 ruling of the high court, which allows Muslims to offer prayers at the Sikandar Badhusha Avuliya Dargah only on the occasions of Ramzan and Bakri-Eid, and not on a daily basis. The court also upheld the ban on animal sacrifice within the dargah premises. 

M. Imam Hussain, a worshipper at the dargah, had filed a petition before the apex court challenging the High Court’s order. 

"We do not propose to interfere with the order. Without expressing any opinion on rights of the parties, the impugned order stands upheld," the Bench reportedly said.

During the hearing, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, argued that there had been no law and order issues arising from religious practices at the site. However, Justice Kumar said that the requirement of a Peace Committee meeting was evident of administrative concerns in the region. 

The ruling stems from a long-running dispute over religious practices on the Thiruparankundram hill. The Thiruparankundram Hill is a shared religious site, home to both a Murugan temple and a centuries-old dargah. For over three decades the hill has witnessed the recurring conflicts over ritual practices, which have repeatedly sparked political tensions in Tamil Nadu.

The origins of the dispute trace back to 1994, when a Hindu rights activist was killed during unrest surrounding the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam lamp. The controversy flared up again in 2014 following allegations of meat being consumed on temple land adjacent to the dargah, an act that provoked significant public anger. The situation was further inflamed when DMK ally Navas Kani performed a goat sacrifice during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan. In 2023, a separate attempt to rename the location Sikandar Hill had sparked protests statewide, leading to a legal ruling that formally reinstated the site's original name, Thiruparankundram.

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