“People must know what is made at the place they are eating,” says Haryana CM on SC verdict over ‘nameplates’ on Kanwar Yatra route

Karnal (Haryana) [India], July 22 (ANI): In reaction to the Supreme Court staying the directive to shops along the Kanwar Yatra route, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said that this yatra is carried out based on faith, and the people who are a part of it must know what is made at the place where they are eating.

“People should know what is made where they are eating. There must be some sign or writing mentioning whether the restaurant is serving vegetarian or non-vegetarian food, and then the situation becomes clear,” said CM Saini.

At the same time, the Chief Minister stated, “We respect the court’s decision.”

Notably, on Monday, the Supreme Court put an interim stay on directives issued by the authorities of certain state governments that eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route should display the names of the owners outside such shops.

A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued notice to Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh, where the Kanwar Yatra takes place.

The bench said state police cannot force shopkeepers to display their names, and they can only be asked to display food items.

“Until the returnable date, having regard to the discussion, we deem it appropriate to pass an interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the above directives. In other words, the food sellers, hawkers, etc. may be required to display the kind of food they are serving to Kanwariyas, but they must not be forced to disclose the names,” the bench said in it’s order.

It has posted the matter for hearing on July 26.

The top court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the directive issued by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarnagar, in Uttar Pradesh, to shop owners to display their names outside shops during the Kanwar Yatra season. The police had said that the decision was in the interest of law and order.

The directive was reportedly enforced across many districts of Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh also came up with similar directives.