The Kerala High Court on November 19, Wednesday ordered the Travancore Devaswom Board to limit daily spot-booking for Sabarimala pilgrims to 5,000, down from about 20,000, citing severe overcrowding and major crowd-management failures. 
The court, led by Justices V Raja Vijayaraghavan and KV Jayakumar, sharply criticised TDB’s poor planning. The court also asked for detailed capacity figures for every sector of the hill shrine.
The court has directed that no more than 5,000 devotees should be allowed daily via the Kananapatha (forest) route, and ordered enhanced provisions for drinking water and refreshments. 
The bench remarked that merely frisking pilgrims and pushing them forward without regard for the temple’s carrying capacity was a “wrong approach.”
The move comes amid reports that more than two lakh devotees entered the shrine in just 48 hours, overwhelming the management.  The court has sought a detailed response from the TDB on how it plans to enforce the new cap and improve infrastructure. 
Opposition parties in Kerala also condemned the board’s handling, calling it a “failure” that put devotees at risk.