Shock to Yogi government from SC, stay on order on Kanwar Yatra Marg shops

#News Bureau July 22,2024

There will no longer be a need to write the name of the owners on the eateries or carts on the Kanwar Yatra route. The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the instructions issued by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments regarding the eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route. In these instructions of the UP and Uttarakhand government, it was said that the eateries located on the Kanwar Yatra route will have to display the names of the owners outside such shops.

A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti passed an interim order issuing notice on the petitions challenging the government’s instructions. The bench, however, clarified that the eateries should display the food being served. The petitioners had challenged these instructions citing religious discrimination and questioned the source of the authority of the authorities to issue such instruction

The original directive was issued by the Muzaffarnagar police. Despite the controversy over it, the Yogi government of UP issued the directive for the shops and hawkers on the Kanwar Yatra route across UP. Challenging these directives, many people including Professor Apoorvanand had filed petitions. Senior advocate Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the petitioner, questioned the rationale behind the directives.

According to the report of Live Law, the court has said that it is justified to serve food to the Kanwariyas based on their choice while maintaining standard hygiene. In its order, the Supreme Court said, ‘The affected owners will have to tell the type of food items, but not the name.’

Before the court’s decision, Singhvi argued on behalf of the petitioners that the situation is worrying because the police officers who issued these directives have themselves taken up the task of creating division. Singhvi claims that these directives will identify the owners and they will be economically boycotted.