India, April 13 -- The Kerala High Court has directed the Cochin Devaswom Board to ensure basic amenities and facilities for devotees in all the temples that it manages, saying that despite repeated orders in this regard, the Board was giving the least priority to the primary needs of pilgrims.

Deprecating the board's attitude, a bench of justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar issued comprehensive directions to provide basic amenities to pilgrims and ensure cleanliness at all the 409 shrines, including the Kodungalloor Bhagavathy Temple in Thrissur, that CDB manages.

While issuing the directions, the court said that the Board was duty-bound to ensure basic facilities, such as a sufficient number of toilets, access to pure drink...