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Karthigai Deepam lamp row: Opposition, led by DMK, likely to move impeachment motion against Madras HC judge
Opposition MPs, led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), are likely to move an impeachment motion against justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras high court over his judgment on the contentious issue of the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam lamp atop Madurai’s Thiruparankundram hill, leaders aware of the details said on Monday.
Opposition MPs, led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), are likely to move an impeachment motion against justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras high court over his judgment on the contentious issue of the lighting of the Karthigai Deepam lamp atop Madurai’s Thiruparankundram hill, leaders aware of the details said on Monday.
“We will move it Tuesday or Wednesday in Parliament,” a senior DMK MP said on condition of anonymity.
For the removal of a sitting high court judge, the motion requires the signatures of 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha.“We have received 100 signatures from the Lok Sabha,” a second DMK MP said of the motion to impeach the judge from the Madurai bench of the Madras high court.
According to a Congress MP from Tamil Nadu, the bloc is expected to make a decision on the motion on Tuesday morning. “We have signed the petition. It might be moved on Tuesday or Wednesday,” the lawmaker said, also on anonymity.
The Thiruparankundram hill covers the Subramaniya Swamy temple, Kasi Viswanathan temple, and Sikkander Badusha dargah, has faced no dispute for decades. The place came into the spotlight in February, after members of Hindu Munnani held a protest condemning some individuals who ate meat on the hillock and the issue around the hill is heating up again ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
On December 1, justice Swaminathan permitted devotees to light the lamp on December 1, calling the ritual an integral part of Tamil culture. The state resisted the order citing law and order concerns and the hill’s proximity to a dargah.
On December 3, he quashed the Madurai Collector’s prohibitory order under Section 144 CrPC (Section 163 BNSS), calling it an “attempt to circumvent his order”. The same day, a division bench upheld his directions, describing the state’s appeal as an “attempt to pre-empt contempt”.
Amid the row, the DMK government has moved the Supreme Court, mentioning its special leave petition before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, seeking urgent hearing of its challenge to the high court’s directions permitting devotees to light the lamp.
