The Supreme Court has stayed the controversial directives issued by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments requiring all eateries and dhabas along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners and workers. The stay comes in response to petitions challenging the legality of these directives.
The directives mandated that all food outlets along the Kanwar Yatra route must display a “nameplate” with the names of owners/proprietors and staff members. This measure was intended to ensure the “purity of faith” for Hindu devotees participating in the Kanwar Yatra, a pilgrimage during the month of Shravan.
The directives also included a stipulation that any establishment selling products with Halal certification would face penal action.
Issuing notice on the petitions, a Bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti remarked that devotees should be provided with food of their choice while maintaining standard hygiene.
The directives sparked controversy and criticism from opposition parties and civil rights groups, who argued that the measures could lead to communal discrimination and create divisions within communities.
