Supreme Court stays Uttarakhand, UP govt orders asking eateries on Kanwar Yatra route to disclose staff names

 

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the implementation of orders issued by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments asking restaurant owners along the Kanwar Yatra route to disclose the names of their owners and the staff employed there.

The Supreme Court declared that food vendors cannot be compelled to provide the names of their owners or the staff they employ. The Supreme Court has scheduled hearing on the matter for July 26.

The Supreme Court questioned whether the Kanwariyas expected the food to be prepared by a particular category of owners. "We consider it appropriate to issue an interim injunction staying the implementation of the above directions. In other words, food sellers may be required to indicate the type of food but may not be compelled to indicate the names of the owners or employees," the court said.

Muzaffarnagar police had issued orders making it mandatory for restaurants along the Kanwal Yatra route to disclose the names of their owners. The Uttar Pradesh government later extended the order to the entire state on Friday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled state of Uttarakhand had also issued similar orders. The BJP-led Ujjain Municipal Corporation had also directed shopkeepers in the historic city to display their names and mobile numbers in front of their shops. Government stand presented: BJP

BJP spokesperson Jugal Kishore said: "The government will state its stand in court."

No one appeared on behalf of the state government on the issue during the hearing.