The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the orders of the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments and sought their stand on the plea. The Supreme Court has stayed the government order.
Delivering the interim order, Justice Roy said if the orders of the two governments are allowed to be implemented, the secular character of India will be harmed. Lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued on behalf of the petitioners. He also questioned the jurisdiction of the police and administration to issue such orders.
A voluntary organisation and a civil defence organisation had approached the Supreme Court against the order. Mahua Moitra, the Trinamool Congress MP from Krishnanagar, has also filed a PIL in the matter. They will be heard together on Monday. After the Supreme Court's interim order was made public, Mahua wrote on her ex-Twitter handle, "There is no need to disclose the name and identity of any shopkeeper. The Supreme Court has stayed the Kanwar Yatra on illegal and unconstitutional orders. Long live the Constitution. We can always protect it. "
Kanwar Yatra has started in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand from Monday. Every year at the beginning of the month of Shravan, devotees go on this journey to the Shaivite shrines. The Muzaffarnagar district police had recently directed the owners of the eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to write their names on the boards. The Superintendent of Police claimed that this order has been issued so that the pilgrims do not have any doubts about the concerned hotel or dhaba. He said temporary street food stalls have also been asked to follow the guidelines. Earlier, orders were also issued to stop the sale of non-vegetarian items on the Kanwar Yatra route as a mark of respect to the devotees. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that the owners of food shops located on both sides of the route of Kanwar yatris will have to mandatorily register their names on the shop boards. " A similar decision was taken by the Uttarakhand government.
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