Restaurant India News: Supreme Court Orders Eateries on Kanwar Yatra Route to Display Licences and Registrations

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all eateries operating along the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to visibly display their licences and registration certificates, in line with existing statutory requirements.

A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh clarified that the directive does not extend to displaying names of owners or QR codes at this stage, as the Kanwar Yatra is concluding shortly. “We are told that today is the last day of the yatra. In any case, it is likely to come to an end in the near future. Therefore, at this stage we would only pass an order that all the respective hotel owners shall comply with the mandate of displaying the licence and the registration certificate as per the statutory requirements,” the bench stated.

The order was passed during the hearing of a petition filed by academician Apoorvanand Jha and others, challenging certain directives issued by the Uttar Pradesh government. Last year, the court stayed similar directives by the Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh governments, which required eateries on the Kanwar route to display names of owners, staff, and other personal details.

Referring to a June 25 press release from the Uttar Pradesh government, the petitioner argued that the newly proposed requirement to display QR codes — which reveal names and identities of owners — amounted to discriminatory profiling, which the Supreme Court had previously stayed.

The petition also raised concerns about the state’s directive asking shop, dhaba, and restaurant owners to reveal their religious and caste identities under the guise of lawful licence requirements, calling it a breach of privacy.

The Kanwar Yatra, which occurs during the Hindu calendar month of Shravan, draws thousands of devotees carrying kanwars filled with Ganga water to perform jalabhishek rituals at Shiva temples. Many followers observe dietary restrictions during the period, avoiding meat, onion, and garlic.

For businesses along the route, the ruling reinforces the need to adhere to regulatory norms while also highlighting the sensitivities around privacy and consumer sentiment during religious events.