SC extends interim stay on directives for eateries during pilgrimage

The Supreme Court on Friday prolonged an interim decision made on July 22 that suspended instructions issued by the BJPruled states of Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh These regulations demanded that eateries along the Kanwar Yatra routes publish the identities of their owners and employeesA bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti declared that they would not give any clarification on the July 22 order stating We have said everything that needed to be said in our July 22 order We cant force people to reveal their namesThe bench requested that the Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments answer to the petitions contesting their separate instructions Petitioners were also given the opportunity to respond to the responses of the state governments and the case was set for a hearing on August 5The Uttar Pradesh administration justified the edict claiming that it sought to enhance openness minimise potential confusion and ensure a pleasant Kanwar YatraOn July 22 the Supreme Court granted an interim stay on the instructions from Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand and Madhya PradeshKanwar Yatra UP defends the display name diktatThe UP government on Friday defending its directive requiring eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of owners and staff said that they only wanted to avoid potential confusionIt may be noted that the idea behind the directives is transparency and informed choice of the consumerkanwaria regarding the food they eat during the period of the Yatra keeping in mind their religious sentiments so that they dont even accidentally fall foul of their beliefs the Uttar Pradesh government said in its replyIt is submitted that the impugned Press Release was issued solely in the interest of ensuring a peaceful completion of the Kanwar Yatra in which more than 407 Crores of Kanwariyas participate annually it said per PTI reportAccording to the report the UP government told the court that there was no ban or prohibition on trade or business except the restriction on selling meat The requirement to display the names and identities of the owners is merely an additional measure to ensure transparency and avoid any potential confusion among the Kanwariyas it addedThe UP governments affidavit stated that the directions were not imposing any discrimination and that the requirement to display the names and identities applies uniformly to all food sellers along the route irrespective of their religious or community affiliationsThe Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage during the month of Shravan performed by Shiva devotees who carry water from the Ganga from Haridwar and other holy places to offer to Lord Shiva at various places of worship across the state and even beyond the state Crores of pilgrims take part with religious fervour many not literate and walking barefoot Even small confusions regarding the kind of food they are served have the potential to hurt their religious sentiments and cause flareups especially in a communally sensitive area like Muzaffarnagar the state government said in their affidavitSuch situations would lead to flareups A mishap in the form of taking a meal unwittingly at a place that would have otherwise not been of their choice could for the Kanwaria vitiate the entire Yatra peace and tranquillity in the area the maintenance of which is the bounden duty of the State Past incidents have shown that misunderstandings regarding the type of food being sold have led to tensions and disturbances The directives are a proactive measure to avoid such situations it said