Supreme Court Halts Name Disclosure for Kanwar Yatra Eateries

The Supreme Court imposed an interim stay on UP, Uttarakhand, and MP directives mandating eatery owners along Kanwar Yatra routes to display personal details. The opposition criticized the move as discriminatory. Eateries must now only disclose food types. The court will review the matter further on Friday.

The Supreme Court on Monday imposed an interim stay on directives by BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh asking eatery owners along Kanwar Yatra routes to display detailed personal information about the owners and staff.

The opposition criticized these directives, labeling them as discriminatory and divisive, aimed at targeting Muslims and Scheduled Castes. In response, the Supreme Court ruled that while eateries may be required to display the type of food served (vegetarian or non-vegetarian), they should not be forced to display personal information.

A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti passed this order, emphasizing that the measures are not backed by statutory authority and must be reviewed. The matter is set for further hearing on Friday. The top court was hearing pleas from TMC MP Mahua Moitra, academician Apoorvanand Jha, columnist Aakar Patel, and the NGO Association of Protection of Civil Rights challenging the controversial directives.