The Supreme Court on Monday, February 9, 2026, rejected a plea against Madras High Court orders that limit prayer, including namaz, at the Nellithoppu area of Sikkandar Badhusha Avuliya Dargah in Madurai. The prayers are allowed only during Ramzan and Bakrid festival days. Advocate Prashant Bhushan represented petitioner Imam Hussain. He argued that the High Court overstepped by restricting namaz to just those two days to avoid disturbing traditional routes to the Kasi Vishwanathar Temple. Bhushan said the Court wrongly turned a temporary agreement by a peace committee into a permanent rule. The petition claimed that restricting prayers was unconstitutional and limited religious freedom under Article 25. It also challenged the Court’s view that namaz was a recent practice there, saying no proof of ancient tradition is needed for protection of religious acts. The High Court feared large crowds offering namaz would block paths to the temple and breach a century-old civil court order from 1923. The final High Court order restricting prayers was issued on October 10, 2025, after a split verdict in a Division bench. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition after a short hearing, upholding the restriction as lawful. The petitioner said the order unfairly burdens one community, infringes on dignity, liberty, conscience, and freedom to practice religion, and prevents daily prayers at the Dargah's Nellithoppu area. He said the limitation forces believers to limit their religious identity to just two days a year. The case highlights tensions over religious space and tradition at the syncretic hill town of Thirupparankundram in Tamil Nadu.