In Perumal Kovilpatti, a small Mandu Karuppasamy temple has now become the centre of a much bigger question: do Hindus need state permission to light a Deepam in their own kshetra? The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had clearly allowed Karthigai Deepam celebrations here. Yet, the Dindigul Collector imposed a prohibitory order and blocked the festival, citing “volatile” conditions and pending FIRs, including a murder case.
Justice G R Swaminathan has now issued statutory notice to the Collector in a contempt petition, bluntly reminding him that a district officer has no appellate power over a High Court. When the judge repeatedly asked if the prohibitory order would be withdrawn, the state’s law officers spoke of bloodshed and appeals, instead of implementing a lawful judicial direction.
This is not just about one Deepam, one village, or one night. A small stone temple on 12.5 cents of land, barricaded last year after Hindu–Christian tensions, is today a test case for Hindu religious rights in a “secular” state. If a court‑sanctioned Karthigai Deepam can be stopped by administration in the name of “law and order,” then dharma itself stands at the mercy of politics.
Hindus of Tamil Nadu, and Bharat, must remember: a society that fears a lamp on a hill, but not those who threaten violence, is moving into dangerous darkness.
