NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all hotel and eatery owners along the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to display their licences and registration certificates in accordance with statutory norms.A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh, however, refrained from passing any orders on the controversial requirement for displaying names of owners or QR codes, noting that the annual pilgrimage was drawing to a close.”We are told that today is the last day of the yatra. In any case, it is likely to come to an end shortly. Therefore, at this stage, we would only direct that all hotel owners comply with the statutory mandate to display their licences and registration certificates,” the bench observed.The court was hearing a plea filed by academician Apoorvanand Jha and others, challenging a recent directive by the Uttar Pradesh government.The petitioners flagged a June 25 press release by the state government, which mandated eateries along the yatra route to display QR codes that would reveal the names and identities of the owners. The plea argued that such measures amounted to discriminatory profiling and violated the right to privacy.“The new measures mandate the display of QR codes on all eateries along the Kanwar route, thereby achieving the same discriminatory profiling that was previously stayed by this court,” the petition said.It further contended that the state’s move to seek religious and caste identities of dhaba, stall, and restaurant owners under the guise of “lawful licence requirements” was unconstitutional.Last year, the top court had stayed similar directives issued by the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh governments, which had asked eateries along the yatra route to display ownership and staff details.The Kanwar Yatra, which takes place during the Hindu month of Shravan, sees lakhs of devotees carrying holy water from the Ganga to perform ‘jalabhishek’ on Shivlings. During this period, many devotees refrain from consuming meat, onion, and garlic, prompting state authorities to issue food-related advisories for establishments along the pilgrimage route.
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