The Supreme Court on Friday upheld its interim order allowing shopkeepers along the Kanwar Yatra route to voluntarily display the names of owners and employees outside their premises. The court continued its stay on directives from the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments that mandated the display of such information.

The stay order will remain in effect until the next hearing on August 5. The court directed the Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh governments to submit their responses within a week.

"For voluntarily displaying names, there is no issue. Our order states that they cannot be forced to display owner and employee names outside the dhaba," stated a bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti.

UP Government Cites Food Safety Act, Singhvi Counters

During the hearing, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Uttar Pradesh, argued that the Food and Safety Standards Act requires all food sellers to display the names of their owners. The court responded, "Then let it be enforced across the entire state, not just in certain areas. File a counter showing it has been enforced statewide."

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Trinamool Congress's Mahua Moitra, argued that there has been no requirement to display the names of shop owners during the Kanwar Yatra for the past 60 years. He suggested that the yatra proceed this year without enforcing these rules.

Singhvi highlighted that the Uttar Pradesh government's affidavit admitted the directive was discriminatory. "The temporary nature of the directives ensures they do not inflict permanent discrimination or hardship on food sellers while respecting the sentiments and religious practices of Kanwariyas," Singhvi quoted from the affidavit.

On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh government defended its directive in an affidavit, asserting that the goal was to promote transparency and prevent "potential confusion" to ensure a peaceful yatra.

Meanwhile, the lawyer representing the Madhya Pradesh government refuted reports that the Ujjain Municipal Corporation had issued a similar directive to eateries.