Amid growing controversy over Thiruparankundram hill in Madurai and the Tamil Nadu government’s refusal to implement a single-judge order permitting the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam lamp near a dargah there, former Madras High Court judge Justice SS Sundar has strongly criticised the ruling, questioning how the Madras bench could allow a new religious practice despite explicit law-and-order concerns flagged by the State and its enforcement agencies.
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Justice Sundar, a former judge of the Madras High Court, raised fundamental objections to the Thiruparankundram order passed by Justice GR Swaminathan, stating that a writ petition was not maintainable to decide whether a petitioner was entitled to light the Karthigai Deepam at a particular place. He noted that while Article 25 of the Constitution guarantees the freedom to practise religion, including the right to express beliefs through sanctioned religious acts, this right is subject to l
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