The Kerala High Court criticised the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) on Wednesday for the shoddy crowd management at Sabarimala, attributing it to slack coordination by officials of the board.
Expressing concern at thousands of pilgrims getting stranded due to crowding and inadequate arrangements, the court asked why preparations for the Mandalam-Makaravilakku season did not begin at least six months in advance, despite knowing that there would be a huge inflow of devotees during the two-month season that began on Monday.
The court observed that merely frisking pilgrims and pushing them forward, without taking into account the capacity of the hill temple, was a wrong approach. It further directed the TDB to clarify on the maximum number of pilgrims who could be accommodated at the temple at any given time, and also sought detailed capacity figures for each sector. Thus, pilgrims could be divided sector wise, to regulate the crowd, the court said.
Taking into account the limitations on the temple premises, the court said that only a controlled number of pilgrims should be permitted entry, in proportion to the availability of space and also safety protocols. The court also asked why the instructions it had issued earlier were not adhered to, and directed the TDB to swiftly roll out scientific crowd management measures.
Newly appointed TDB president K. Jayakumar too shared the court’s concerns and said that the arrangements ought to have been made at least six months in advance.
It had been reported that about two lakh pilgrims, including children, had converged at Sabarimala in the 48 hours since the temple opening. There were complaints that many of them did not even get drinking water.
Published – November 19, 2025 08:04 pm IST
