Kerala HC Warns of ‘Inevitable Disaster’ at Sabarimala Amid Severe Crowd Mismanagement

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday strongly criticised the state government and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) for failing to manage the heavy rush at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple, warning that a “disaster is inevitable” if urgent corrective measures are not implemented.

The court’s remarks came after an extraordinary influx of nearly two lakh devotees reached the shrine within just 48 hours of the temple’s opening on November 17. The sudden surge overwhelmed crowd-handling systems, with police and TDB officials struggling to regulate devotees, including several families with young children.

A Bench of Justices noted that preparations for the pilgrimage season should have begun months earlier and questioned why virtual queue slots had not been reduced despite visible congestion. The court expressed concern that more than 10,000 additional devotees were allowed to climb the hill through spot bookings, further overcrowding the sanctum and surrounding pathways.

The Bench sharply questioned the rationale behind pushing large batches of devotees through the shrine at unsafe speeds, asking, “What is the point of pushing devotees in and out? Should we insist on 80 people entering in a minute?” The court stressed that no accidents or stampede-like situations should occur due to administrative mismanagement.

The High Court has sought detailed written explanations from both the state government and the TDB, directing them to submit their responses by Friday.

Meanwhile, Opposition parties criticised the government for failing to provide essential facilities such as drinking water and adequate police deployment. Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan alleged that the lack of preparation before the model code of conduct came into effect contributed to the crisis and urged the High Court to intervene immediately.