The Kerala High Court on Wednesday ordered that the status quo be maintained on its earlier directions regulating entry to the Sabarimala temple. The order ensures continued compliance with its November 27 directive allowing entry only with valid passes and within allotted date and time slots.

The Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice K V Jayakumar said its previous directions would remain in force for now. “Having considered the submissions, the directions issued in the order dated 27 November 2025 shall continue for the time being,” the court said.

Earlier, in view of a heavy influx of pilgrims, the court had capped spot bookings at 5,000 per day and Virtual-Q bookings at 75,000 per day. On November 21, it allowed the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) to make slight adjustments to the spot booking cap after crowd density fell, while insisting that the pilgrim density remain within green-zone limits.

However, on November 27, the court was informed that the number of pilgrims had surged again, with nearly one lakh people reaching the temple. A large number reportedly carried fake passes, and groups were allowed entry without valid bookings.

Considering the strain on crowd movement, drinking water supply, parking, and sanitation, the court had issued strict instructions to the police and TDB to allow only those with genuine passes to enter the temple strictly as per their allotted date and time. The TDB was also directed to give wide publicity to these guidelines and alert Virtual-Q holders of their scheduled entry times.

The court will next hear the matter on December 17.
(With LiveLaw inputs)