Kanwar Yatra eateries row: Supreme Court halts U.P., Uttarakhand GOs to diplay the name of the owner

Supreme Court interim order prohibits display of food shop owners' names during Kanwar Yatra, hearing ongoing.

The Supreme Court, in an interim order on July 22, prohibited the enforcement of the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Governments’ directives to display the names of food shop owners and their employees en route to the Kanwar Yatra.

A Bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S.V.N. Bhatti said the owners may display the kind of food served but need not display their names, castes or that of their employees.

The Bench asked Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, who approached the top court against the orders, if any formal order has been passed by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Governments that eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route must display the names of their owners.

The Bench posed the query to senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Ms. Moitra, after he submitted that a 'camouflaged' order has been passed to display names of owners of eateries.

"Has any formal order been passed by the State Governments," the Bench asked.

Mr. Singhvi said the orders passed by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Governments is exclusion by identity and against the Constitution.

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