The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday defended its directive requiring eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners and staff, saying the idea was to bring in transparency, avoid "potential confusion" and ensure a peaceful yatra.

On July 22, the apex court ordered an interim stay on the directives issued by the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments.

"It may be noted that the idea behind the directives is transparency and informed choice of the consumer/kanwaria regarding the food they eat during the period of the Yatra, keeping in mind their religious sentiments so that they don't, even accidentally, fall foul of their beliefs," the Uttar Pradesh government said in its reply to pleas challenging the directive.

The directives asking eateries along the Kanwar Yatra routes were decried by the opposition as intended to promote religious discrimination.

The Uttar Pradesh government said in its submission to the Supreme Court that care is taken by the state to ensure that persons of all religions, faiths and beliefs coexist and equal importance is given to their festivals.

"It 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 4.07 Crores of Kanwariyas participate annually," it said.

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The state government said it has imposed no ban or prohibition on the trade or business of the food sellers (except the restriction on selling non-veg food), and they are free to conduct their business as usual.

"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 added.

According to the affidavit, the directives do not impose any discrimination and the requirement to display the names and identities applies uniformly to all food sellers along the route, irrespective of their religious or community affiliations. It added that the directive is limited to the route and for less than two weeks.

The 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, said the affidavit, filed through standing counsel Ruchira Goel.

It added that 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, has the potential to hurt their religious sentiments and cause flare ups, especially in a communally sensitive area like Muzaffarnagar, the state government said.

"Such situations would obviously lead to flare ups... A mishap in the form of taking a meal unwittingly of 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," it added.

In 2008, it added, the apex court had even upheld the complete closure of slaughter houses in Gujarat for nine days during a Jain festival while keeping in mind the sentiments of the devotees.

The UP government said it is imperative to take preventive measures that ensure a peaceful and harmonious pilgrimage.

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"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.

On July 22, the top court had issued notice to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh and said the eateries may be required to display the kind of food they are serving whether they are vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

The top court is hearing a batch of pleas challenging the directives. Among those who filed the petitions are TMC MP Mahua Moitra, academician Apoorvanand Jha and columnist Aakar Patel, and the NGO Association of Protection of Civil Rights challenging the directives.

The Kanwar Yatra began on July 22 and ends&nbsp;on August 6. 
 
Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday defended its directive requiring eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners and staff, saying the idea was to bring in transparency, avoid "potential confusion" and ensure a peaceful yatra.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday defended its directive requiring eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners and staff, saying the idea was to bring in transparency, avoid "potential confusion" and ensure a peaceful yatra. On July 22, the apex court ordered an interim stay on the directives issued by the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments. "It may be noted that the idea behind the directives is transparency and informed choice of the consumer/kanwaria regarding the food they eat during the period of the Yatra, keeping in mind their religious sentiments so that they don't, even accidentally, fall foul of their beliefs," the Uttar Pradesh government said in its reply to pleas challenging the directive. The directives asking eateries along the Kanwar Yatra routes were decried by the opposition as intended to promote religious discrimination. The Uttar Pradesh government said in its submission to the Supreme Court that care is taken by the state to ensure that persons of all religions, faiths and beliefs coexist and equal importance is given to their festivals. "It 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 4.07 Crores of Kanwariyas participate annually," it said. Also Read | Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi appears in UP court in defamation case The state government said it has imposed no ban or prohibition on the trade or business of the food sellers (except the restriction on selling non-veg food), and they are free to conduct their business as usual. "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 added. According to the affidavit, the directives do not impose any discrimination and the requirement to display the names and identities applies uniformly to all food sellers along the route, irrespective of their religious or community affiliations. It added that the directive is limited to the route and for less than two weeks. The 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, said the affidavit, filed through standing counsel Ruchira Goel. It added that 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, has the potential to hurt their religious sentiments and cause flare ups, especially in a communally sensitive area like Muzaffarnagar, the state government said. "Such situations would obviously lead to flare ups... A mishap in the form of taking a meal unwittingly of 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," it added. In 2008, it added, the apex court had even upheld the complete closure of slaughter houses in Gujarat for nine days during a Jain festival while keeping in mind the sentiments of the devotees. The UP government said it is imperative to take preventive measures that ensure a peaceful and harmonious pilgrimage. Also Read | India and China to discuss withdrawal of thousands of troops stationed along LAC "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. On July 22, the top court had issued notice to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh and said the eateries may be required to display the kind of food they are serving whether they are vegetarian or non-vegetarian. The top court is hearing a batch of pleas challenging the directives. Among those who filed the petitions are TMC MP Mahua Moitra, academician Apoorvanand Jha and columnist Aakar Patel, and the NGO Association of Protection of Civil Rights challenging the directives. The Kanwar Yatra began on July 22 and ends on August 6. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Kanwar directive on eateries to ensure peace, avoid 'potential confusion': UP govt tells India's Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India on Monday (Jul&nbsp;22) imposed an interim stay order on the directives by multiple state governments ordering eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of the shop owners.

A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti issued notices to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh seeking their replies to plea challenging the directive.

The bench said that while food sellers may be required to display information on the kind of food they serve, they cannot be forced to display the names of the owners.

"We deem it appropriate to pass an interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the above directives. In other words, food sellers may be required to display kind of food, but must not be forced to display names of owners, staff employed," said the justices. The matter has been posted for further hearing on Friday (Jul&nbsp;26).

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<h2>The order</h2>

Last week, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered eateries across the Kanwar Yatra route to display outside the establishment the names of the owners.

Yogi Adityanath issued this order a similar instruction by police for eateries in Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Shamli. He said that the order must be sternly followed to avoid confusion among pilgrims undertaking the pilgrimage.&nbsp;The Uttarakhand government passed a similar order.

In Madhya Pradesh, BJP-ruled Ujjain Municipal Corporation also issued a directive asking shop owners to display their names and mobile numbers outside their establishments.

On Saturday (Jul&nbsp;20), Ujjain Mayor Mukesh Tatwal said that violators would have to pay a Rs 2,000 (around $24) fine for the Rs 5,000&nbsp;(around $60) if they defy this order for the second time. He also said that the order was only aimed at ensuring safety and transparency and clarified that it was not intended to target Muslim shopkeepers.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/kanwar-yatra-in-india-why-is-this-move-by-police-being-compared-to-nazi-germany-742125">'Kanwar Yatra' in India: Why is THIS move of UP Police being compared to 'Nazi Germany'?</a>

<h2>Critics of the order</h2>

The plea, as per PTI news agency, was filed by multiple stakeholders, including the NGO Association of Protection of Civil Rights, TMC MP Mahua Moitra and others.

MP Moitra, in her plea, contented that the order could aggravate discord between communities.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Supreme Court of India on Monday (Jul 22) imposed an interim stay order on the directives by multiple state governments ordering eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of the shop owners.

The Supreme Court of India on Monday (Jul 22) imposed an interim stay order on the directives by multiple state governments ordering eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of the shop owners. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti issued notices to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh seeking their replies to plea challenging the directive. The bench said that while food sellers may be required to display information on the kind of food they serve, they cannot be forced to display the names of the owners. "We deem it appropriate to pass an interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the above directives. In other words, food sellers may be required to display kind of food, but must not be forced to display names of owners, staff employed," said the justices. The matter has been posted for further hearing on Friday (Jul 26). Also read | India: CM Yogi Adityanath orders eateries along Kanwar Yatra routes in UP to display owners' names The order Last week, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered eateries across the Kanwar Yatra route to display outside the establishment the names of the owners. Yogi Adityanath issued this order a similar instruction by police for eateries in Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Shamli. He said that the order must be sternly followed to avoid confusion among pilgrims undertaking the pilgrimage. The Uttarakhand government passed a similar order. In Madhya Pradesh, BJP-ruled Ujjain Municipal Corporation also issued a directive asking shop owners to display their names and mobile numbers outside their establishments. On Saturday (Jul 20), Ujjain Mayor Mukesh Tatwal said that violators would have to pay a Rs 2,000 (around $24) fine for the Rs 5,000 (around $60) if they defy this order for the second time. He also said that the order was only aimed at ensuring safety and transparency and clarified that it was not intended to target Muslim shopkeepers. Also read | 'Kanwar Yatra' in India: Why is THIS move of UP Police being compared to 'Nazi Germany'? Critics of the order The plea, as per PTI news agency, was filed by multiple stakeholders, including the NGO Association of Protection of Civil Rights, TMC MP Mahua Moitra and others. MP Moitra, in her plea, contented that the order could aggravate discord between communities. (With inputs from agencies)

India: Supreme Court halts orders requiring eateries to display owner names along Kanwar Yatra route

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Kanwar directive on eateries to ensure peace, avoid 'potential confusion': UP govt tells India's Supreme Court

India: Supreme Court halts orders requiring eateries to display owner names along Kanwar Yatra route