Kerala High Court Issues Guidelines For Crowd Management Of Pilgrims At Sabarimala Temple During Mandala-Makaravilakku Festival

The Division Bench comprising, Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice G. Girish issued the following directions:-

1. Chief Police Co-Ordinator, Sannidhanam to regulate movement of pilgrims through Pathinettampadi without compromising their safety and also ensure darshan of maximum pilgrims through Pathinettampadi.
2. Special queue for movement of women, children of tender age and person with disabilities to ensure their safety.
3. Travancore Devaswom Board to ensure cleanliness of queue complexes and pilgrim sheds by deploying 72 employees who will work round the clock in shifts. Executive Magistrate to conduct daily inspections in queue complexes and pilgrim sheds for ensuring cleanliness.
4. Travancore Devaswom Board to deploy sufficient volunteers to provide 'chukku vellam' and biscuits to pilgrims stranded in queue complex. pilgrim sheds and trekking path.
5. Travancore Devaswom Board to deploy sufficient security personnel/employees in parking grounds to ensure proper parking of vehicles.
6. If Second Track of FASTag not made operational for collection of parking fee at Nilakkal, necessary steps to be taken.
7. Movement of vehicles to Nilakkal are controlled by hold and release mechanism, so Police to provide Annadhanam, drinking water and biscuits to pilgrims who are stranded between Laha and Nilakkal.
8. Travancore Devaswom Board shall consider if pilgrims can be provided by drinking water and biscuits by NSS volunteers or with aid of local self-government institutions.
9. Regional Transport Officer (Enforcement), Pathanamthitta to identify more parking grounds in Pathanamthitta route

The Court passed the above order in a suo moto petition considering the report of the Special Commissioner, Sabarimala regarding crowd management during the Mandala- Makaravilakku festival season. The Special Commissioner had submitted a report before the Court regarding steps to be taken to provide adequate facilities to pilgrims at Sabarimala.

Last week, the Court had issued a slew of directions for crowd management at Sabarimala. It directed the Regional Transport Officer (Enforcement), Pathanamthitta to conduct an inspection of parking grounds and submit a report on the regulation of vehicular traffic.

It also directed Chief Police Co-Ordinator, Sannidhanam to ensure that there was no overcrowding of pilgrims in queue complexes and pilgrim sheds. It also directed officials to take necessary steps to provide water and biscuits to pilgrims.

The Court also directed that a sufficient number of volunteers were deployed to help pilgrims who were stranded in queue. Further, the Court also directed officials in the Motor Vehicle Department to ensure sufficient availability of KSRTC buses at boarding points to carry pilgrims.

Appearance: Senior Government Pleader S Rajmohan, Amicus Curiae N Raghuraj

Case title: Suo Moto v State of Kerala

Case number: SSCR Nos.29, 36, 41 and 42 of 2023

Click Here To Read/Download The Order