MADURAI: The Karthigai Deepam issue has snowballed into a major controversy in Tamil Nadu, with the state govt Thursday defying for the second time a Madras HC order allowing lighting of the lamp at Deepathoon (a stone lamp pillar) atop Thiruparankundram hills, even as a division bench of the HC rejected its appeal against a contempt order. Meanwhile, BJP state chief Nainar Nagendran and dozens of others were detained by police during protests. State govt filed an SLP in the Supreme Court challenging the division bench order, which dismissed its appeal against a single bench order on a contempt plea. Earlier in the day, the bench of Justices G Jayachandran and K K Ramakrishnan dismissed the state’s appeal, saying it was meant to preempt contempt action. The bench upheld Justice G R S

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