The apex court ordered an interim stay on the directives issued by BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand asking eateries along the Kanwar Yatra routes to display the names of their owners, staff and other details, a move the opposition has claimed is intended to promote religious discrimination.
Issuing notice to the governments of UP, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, where the Ujjain municipal body has issued a similar directive, a bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti, however, said eateries may be required to display the kind of food they are serving like they are vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
In a post on X in Hindi, the SP chief said, “On a new nameplate, it should be written: ‘sauhaardmev jayate’ (victory of harmony).”
The top court issued notice to the UP, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh governments while seeking their replies on the pleas challenging the directives.
No one appeared for the state governments in the matter.
The apex court’s order comes amid an escalating row over the directives, with even BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) joining the chorus for their withdrawal and opposition parties resolving to raise the issue in Parliament.
The Opposition has alleged that the orders were “communal and divisive” and intended to target Muslims and Scheduled Castes by forcing them to reveal their identity, but the BJP maintained that the step has been taken keeping in mind law and order issues and the religious sentiments of pilgrims.
The top court was hearing a batch of pleas including those by TMC MP Mahua Moitra, academician Apoorvanand Jha and columnist Aakar Patel, and NGO Association of Protection of Civil Rights challenging the directives.
Advertisement