The UP government on Friday defended the directive to eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners and staff and said that the idea behind the move was to bring in transparency, avoid any "potential confusion" and ensure a peaceful yatra.
On Monday, the Supreme Court had stayed a directive issued by the UP government in which it had asked the eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the owners' name. File pic
The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government on Friday defended the directive to eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners and staff and said that the idea behind the move was to bring in transparency, avoid any "potential confusion" and ensure a peaceful yatra.
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On Monday, the Apex Court had ordered an interim stay on the directive issued by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled UP and Uttarakhand governments.
"It may be noted that the idea behind the directives is transparency and informed choice of the consumer/kanwaria regarding the food they eat during the period of the yatra, keeping in mind their religious sentiments so that they don't, even accidently, fall foul of their beliefs," the UP government said in its reply on the pleas challenging the directive, reported news agency PTI.
The Opposition had accused that the directive was issued to promote religious discrimination.
The UP government in its submission to the Supreme Court (SC) said that care is being taken by the state to ensure that persons of all religions, faiths and beliefs coexist and equal importance is given to their festivals.
"It is submitted that the impugned Press Release was issued solely in the interest of ensuring a peaceful completion of the Kanwar Yatra, in which more than 4.07 crores of Kanwariyas participate annually," the government stated.
It further added that it has imposed no ban or prohibition on the trade or business of the food sellers (except the restriction on selling non-veg food) on the yatra route, and that they are free to conduct their business as usual.
"The requirement to display the names and identities of the owners is merely an additional measure to ensure transparency and avoid any potential confusion among the Kanwariyas," it added.
The affidavit further clarified that the requirement to display the names applies uniformly to all the food sellers along the route, irrespective of their religious affiliations. It added that the directive is limited only to the route and for less than two weeks as the Kanwar Yatra will end on August 6.
The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage undertaken by the devotees of Lord Shiva during the month of Shravan. The devotees carry water from the Ganga from Haridwar and other holy sites to offer it to Lord Shiva at various places of worship across the state, the affidavit filed through standing counsel Ruchira Goel mentioned.
It added that crores of pilgrims take part with religious fervor and many of them walk barefoot. As some of them might not even be literate, even small confusions, such as the kind of food they are served, has the potential to hurt their religious sentiments and cause flare ups, especially in a communally sensitive area like Muzaffarnagar, the UP government clarified.
"Such situations would obviously lead to flare ups... A mishap in the form of taking a meal unwittingly of a place that would have otherwise not been of their choice, could, for the Kanwaria, vitiate the entire Yatra, and the peace and tranquillity in the area – the maintenance of which is the bounden duty of the State," it added.
The UP government said it is imperative to take preventive measures that ensure a peaceful and harmonious pilgrimage.
"Past incidents have shown that misunderstandings regarding the type of food being sold have led to tensions and disturbances. The directives are a proactive measure to avoid such situations," it said.
The affidavit also cited the 2008 ruling of the Apex Court in which it had upheld the complete closure of slaughter houses in Gujarat for nine days during a Jain festival, keeping in mind the sentiments of the devotees.
The court took up the case after it received a batch of pleas challenging the governments’ directives. Among those who filed the petitions are Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha lawmaker Mahua Moitra, academician Apoorvanand Jha and columnist Aakar Patel, as well as a non-governmental organisation named the Association of Protection of Civil Rights.
(With PTI inputs)
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