A recent directive by the Uttar Pradesh government mandating food vendors along the Kanwar Yatra route to display QR codes and owner identities has been challenged in the Supreme Court for allegedly violating a prior court order that prohibits mandatory identity disclosure by food stall owners.
The application, filed by Apoorvanand Jha on July 8, will be heard by a bench led by Justice M.M. Sundresh on July 15.
Ahead of the Kanwar Yatra, which began on July 11, the UP government introduced a digital monitoring system requiring QR-code-based licences and complaint info to be displayed at all food stalls. These QR codes are linked to the Food Safety Connect App, enabling pilgrims to verify food hygiene standards and file complaints about unsafe practices.
However, the move has drawn criticism. Jha argued in his petition that:
“The new measures mandate the display of QR codes on all eateries along the Kanwar route, which reveal the names and identities of the owners, thereby achieving the same discriminatory profiling that was previously stayed by this court.”
In July 2024, the Supreme Court had issued a stay on similar directives, stating that the mandatory display of personal identities was not required by law and violated privacy rights. The court clarified that stall owners could voluntarily disclose their identity but could not be forced to do so.
Advocate Akriti Chaubey, who filed the application on Jha’s behalf, stated:
“Despite the above orders, it is now apparent that the state of Uttar Pradesh and other authorities are circumventing the stay by reintroducing the same directive stating that, as in the previous year, the name of the operator should be clearly displayed at each shop under the garb of public safety and maintenance of law and order.”
The petition further contends that mandating food sellers to display such information effectively exposes their religious or caste identity, violating their right to privacy. It warns that such vague orders could lead to harassment and vigilante enforcement by individuals or authorities.
The petition seeks an urgent stay on the directive ahead of the next hearing.
Last year, states like Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand directed food businesses on the Kanwar route to publicly display the names of the owners and staff. The move was challenged by multiple petitioners including TMC MP Mahua Moitra and the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR).
Defending its stance in a prior affidavit, the UP government claimed that the directive aimed to provide transparency and respect the religious sentiments of Kanwariyas:
“The temporary nature of the directives ensures that they do not inflict any permanent discrimination or hardship on the food sellers, simultaneously ensuring maintaining the sentiments of Kanwariyas and their religious beliefs and practices. The directive applies to a limited geographical extent to all eatery owners, regardless of their religious or community affiliations.”
As the case moves forward, the top court’s upcoming ruling will be pivotal in determining the balance between public health transparency and individual privacy rights in the context of religious pilgrimages.