The Supreme Court, however, directed that the nature of the food being served must be indicated by the shop owners on the Kanwar Yatra path.
The Supreme Court on Monday issued an interim stay until July 26 on the Uttar Pradesh government’s mandate that merchants along the Kanwar Yatra route post the “names of owners and employees.”
The Supreme Court ordered that store owners will be forced to display the type of food they serve to Kanwariyas.
While issuing notice on a batch of petitions challenging government orders, a Bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued notice saying that the state government’s decision asking shopkeepers along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their names is “exclusion by identity”.
“Until the returnable date, having regard to the… discussion, we deem it appropriate to pass interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the above directives.
In other words, the food sellers… hawkers etc may be required to display the kind of food they are serving to Kanwariyas but they must not be forced to disclose the names…,” the SC ordered.
“Until the returnable date, having regard to the… discussion, we deem it appropriate to pass interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the above directives. In other words, the food sellers… hawkers etc may be required to display the kind of food they are serving to Kanwariyas but they must not be forced to disclose the names…,” the SC ordered.
Authorities in several states, including Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, have compelled store owners and hawkers on the Kanwar yatra route to display their names outside their establishments.
The holy month of Sawan 2024 began on Monday (July 22), during which devotees carry Kanwar, a bamboo pole with pitchers filled with Ganga Jal affixed on both ends and journey to Lord Shiva temples.