Kanwar Yatra: Supreme Court extends stay on eatery order by Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 5

The Supreme Court on Monday extended the interim stay on the orders of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments to eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display names of their owners and employees.

A Bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and R Mahadevan extended the July 22 interim order as it could not take up the matter due to paucity of time.

The yatra is undertaken by lakhs of devotees of Lord Shiva during the Shravan month of Hindu calendar every year. This year, it began on July 22 and will end on August 19.

When a lawyer requested the Bench for an early hearing, it didn’t specify any date and simply said a date would be given.

The Uttar Pradesh Government defended its directive requiring eateries along the yatra route to display the names of their owners and staff, saying that the idea was to bring in transparency, avoid “potential confusion” and ensure a peaceful yatra.