The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) on Thursday revealed that area reservation for Sabarimala darshan has actually been topped at 5,000 enthusiasts daily, following a regulation from the Kerala High Court.
According to a news release, area reservation will now be readily available just at the Nilakkal and Vandiperiyar centres, while the center has actually been momentarily suspended at Pampa, Erumeli and Chengannur. The limitations will stay in impact till November 24, authorities stated.
The TDB has actually advised followers heading to Sabarimala to utilize the Virtual Queue system to schedule their darshan slots any place possible.
A department bench of the Kerala High Court, making up Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar, brought up the board, keeping in mind that the circumstance at the shrine had actually just recently spiralled out of control after almost 2 lakh pilgrims got here within simply 48 hours of the temple opening on November 17.
With almost one lakh pilgrims were permitted darshan every day throughout the Mandalam-Makaravilakku season and more than 50 lakh going to yearly, the judges stated today plans were far from sufficient.
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday greatly criticised the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for what it called “grossly inadequate” centers at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam and has actually bought sweeping enhancements in lodging, sanitation, drinking water and crowd management.
The instructions were provided while getting rid of 2 Devaswom Board petitions that in-depth long lines, absence of standard facilities and the lack of drinking water along the Sannidhanam flyover.
Among the petitioners, Deepak Pravin Mavani, informed the court that he climbed up the 18 holy actions of the Lord Ayyappa temple at 6 am on May 16, 2025 however needed to wait “for nearly three-and-a-half hours to obtain darshan”
He explained “continuous pushing and pulling” in the crowd and stated the “absence of essential amenities such as drinking water and toilet facilities” on the flyover made the wait inhuman.
Another petitioner, K Rajeevkumar, stated he had actually stood “more than three hours” in the lodging line however was still not able to get a space.
The Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar stated the scenario at the shrine had actually just recently spiralled out of control as almost 2 lakh pilgrims got here within 48 hours of the temple opening on November 17.
The court was describing the abnormally big crowd that triggered mayhem at the shrine on Tuesday.
It highly reprimanded the authorities for bad preparation and absence of coordination.
The judges stated the mayhem on Tuesday was the direct outcome of the authorities’ failure to follow earlier court guidelines.
“Many of the necessary works should have been completed six months ago,” the court observed, questioning why a lot of individuals were permitted into the temple location at the very same time.
Tv visuals revealed kids weeping in the crush, pilgrims loaded firmly near the 18 actions, and a number of fans climbing up over barriers as lines gone for hours from Pamba to Sannidhanam.
There were likewise duplicated problems that individuals waiting in line for long hours were not offered drinking water.
Sharing the issues raised by the Bench, freshly designated TDB chairman K Jayakumar confessed that preparations need to undoubtedly have actually been taken 6 months previously.
The court recommended that dividing pilgrims into different sectors would decrease pressure on the holy actions and enable more secure motion, rather of pressing everybody forward together.
Turning to the contentions in the petitions, the High Court kept in mind serious scarcities throughout vital services.
With almost one lakh pilgrims permitted darshan every day throughout the Mandalam– Makaravilakku season and more than 50 lakh going to each year, the judges stated today plans were far from sufficient.
“We are constrained to observe that the facilities presently offered by the Board are grossly inadequate,” the Bench stated, including that “not less than 1,000 bio-toilets… are necessary to meet the basic sanitary needs of the devotees”
The court directed that 200 of the 423 readily available spaces at Sannidhanam should be scheduled specifically for online reservation to guarantee “transparency, accessibility, and equal opportunity”
It purchased the TDB to set up extra environmentally friendly bio-toilets from Nilakkal to Sannidhanam and to guarantee that “each toilet unit shall be manned by a dedicated attendant” to preserve health.
Authorities need to likewise ensure the “uninterrupted availability of safe and adequate drinking water” at Sannidhanam, Pamba and along the travelling course, with sufficient personnel on task to keep the supply running.
The court included that assistance desks staffed by “trained polyglots” must be established along the Pamba– Sannidhanam path to help pilgrims and gather feedback.
A public, multilingual complaint website need to be triggered on the main Sabarimala site. The majority of these procedures should be executed within 3 weeks.
The Bench likewise questioned whether a decades-old practice giving donors 5 days of totally free stay each year need to continue, keeping in mind that donors had actually enjoyed this advantage “for more than five decades”
It directed the Board to examine the policy after hearing the donors’ views.
Reacting to the criticisms, the TDB stated its capability to broaden facilities was restricted since the shrine lies within the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
It stated there was “no drinking water kiosk presently available at the flyover area owing to severe space constraints”and argued that toilets might not be established on the flyover since it lies inside the spiritual temple precincts.
The court, nevertheless, stated ecological limitations might not be utilized as a reason to reject pilgrims fundamental self-respect.
Calling the well-being of enthusiasts the Board’s “paramount consideration”the judges stated their instructions need to be followed not just in letter however in “spirit, urgency and humanity”
