Kerala HC Considers Extending Sabarimala Darshan Timings Due to Unprecedented Rush

The Kerala High Court has convened a special sitting in response to the unprecedented rush at Sabarimala and instructed the Devaswom board to explore the possibility of extending darshan timings by one or two hours. Sabarimala has witnessed a larger-than-usual influx of devotees in the past two days, prompting the court to consider measures to manage the crowd. Currently, the darshan is open for 17 hours a day, and an extension could allow for the smoother passage of the estimated 85,500 devotees daily. The court is also contemplating the deployment of CRPF personnel for effective crowd management, with the law and order ADGP directed to closely monitor the situation.

It’s reported that over 1 lakh people visited Sabarimala on Friday alone, and more than 90,000 devotees made virtual queue bookings on Saturday, along with 21,000 spot bookings. The court had earlier intervened to direct devotees to queue complexes for scientific crowd management, but the surge in numbers necessitates additional measures. The Devaswom board president, P.S Prashanth, mentioned that the final decision regarding temple proceedings rests with the tantri (priest), who will consider the matter and take necessary steps. He also expressed confidence in the Kerala police’s ability to handle the crowd, attributing the present rush to the weekend.