MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, on Tuesday evening, rejected an application filed by members of the Sikandar Badusha Dargah seeking clarification on an interim order passed by the court on January 2, in a petition filed against performing Kandoori during the Santhanakoodu festival.
In the interim order, Justice S Srimathy had imposed a condition restricting the number of participants in the festival to 50.
Stating that more than 1,000 persons participate in the festival every year, the counsel representing dargah requested the judge to modify the order. However, the judge rejected the application citing that the restriction was imposed only based on the submissions of the additional advocate general that huge crowd cannot be accommodated on the hilltop.
The annual Santhanakoodu festival will commence in the early hours of Wednesday, between 2 am and 5 am, amid tight security arrangements.
Preparations gathered pace on Tuesday evening with the ceremonial procession vehicle being readied at the foothill near the dargah. To maintain law and order during the festival, police personnel have been deployed in and around Thiruparankundram. Security has been strengthened along the hill path, near the temple and at other key junctions in the town.