Kerala HC orders major upgrade of facilities for Sabarimala pilgrims

Kochi, Nov 19 (PTI) The Kerala High Court on Wednesday sharply criticised the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for what it called "grossly inadequate" facilities at the Sabarimala Sannidhanam and has ordered sweeping improvements in accommodation, sanitation, drinking water and crowd management.

The directions were issued while disposing of two Devaswom Board petitions that detailed long queues, lack of basic amenities and the absence of drinking water along the Sannidhanam flyover.

One of the petitioners, Deepak Pravin Mavani, told the court that he climbed the 18 holy steps of the Lord Ayyappa temple at 6 am on May 16, 2025 but had to wait "for nearly three-and-a-half hours to obtain darshan".

He described "continuous pushing and pulling" in the crowd and said the "absence of essential amenities such as drinking water and toilet facilities" on the flyover made the wait inhuman.

Another petitioner, K K Rajeevkumar, said he had stood "more than three hours" in the accommodation queue but was still unable to get a room.

The Bench of Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar said the situation at the shrine had recently spiralled out of control as nearly two lakh pilgrims arrived within 48 hours of the temple opening on November 17.

The court was referring to the unusually large crowd that caused chaos at the shrine on Tuesday.

It strongly reprimanded the authorities for poor preparation and lack of coordination.

The judges said the chaos on Tuesday was the direct result of the authorities' failure to follow earlier court instructions.

"Many of the necessary works should have been completed six months ago," the court observed, questioning why so many people were allowed into the temple area at the same time.

Television visuals showed children crying in the crush, pilgrims packed tightly near the 18 steps, and several devotees climbing over barricades as queues stretched for hours from Pamba to Sannidhanam.

There were also repeated complaints that people waiting in line for long hours were not given drinking water.

Sharing the concerns raised by the Bench, newly appointed TDB chairman K Jayakumar admitted that preparations should indeed have been taken six months earlier.

The court suggested that dividing pilgrims into separate sectors would reduce pressure on the holy steps and allow safer movement, instead of pushing everyone forward together.

Turning to the contentions in the petitions, the High Court noted severe shortages across essential services.

With nearly one lakh pilgrims allowed darshan every day during the Mandalam–Makaravilakku season and more than 50 lakh visiting annually, the judges said the present arrangements were far from adequate.

"We are constrained to observe that the facilities presently offered by the Board are grossly inadequate," the Bench said, adding 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 available rooms at Sannidhanam must be reserved exclusively for online booking to ensure "transparency, accessibility, and equal opportunity".

It ordered the TDB to install additional eco-friendly bio-toilets from Nilakkal to Sannidhanam and to ensure that "each toilet unit shall be manned by a dedicated attendant" to maintain hygiene.

Authorities must also guarantee the "uninterrupted availability of safe and adequate drinking water" at Sannidhanam, Pamba and along the trekking path, with enough staff on duty to keep the supply running.

The court added that help desks staffed by "trained polyglots" should be set up along the Pamba–Sannidhanam route to assist pilgrims and collect feedback.

A public, multilingual grievance portal must be activated on the official Sabarimala website. Most of these measures must be implemented within three weeks.

The Bench also questioned whether a decades-old practice granting donors five days of free stay each year should continue, noting that donors had enjoyed this privilege "for more than five decades".

It directed the Board to review the policy after hearing the donors' views.

Responding to the criticisms, the TDB said its ability to expand infrastructure was limited because the shrine lies within the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

It said there was "no drinking water kiosk presently available at the flyover area owing to severe space constraints", and argued that toilets could not be set up on the flyover because it lies inside the sacred temple precincts.

The court, however, said environmental restrictions could not be used as an excuse to deny pilgrims basic dignity.

Calling the welfare of devotees the Board's "paramount consideration", the judges said their directions must be followed not only in letter but in "spirit, urgency and humanity". PTI COR TGB HMP ROH