Kanwar Yatra: Supreme Court to hear plea challenging UP's directive mandating display of QR codes; petition says rule violates privacy

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is all set to examine a petition on July 15 that contests the Uttar Pradesh administration's order requiring QR code displays at establishments along the 'kanwar' path, which disclose proprietors' identities.Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh will consider the public interest litigation submitted by academic Apoorvanand Jha and fellow petitioners, PTI repoorted.Previously, the highest court had suspended comparable orders from BJP-governed states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh that required eateries on Kanwar Yatra routes to show owner names and additional information.Jha referenced a UP administration press release dated June 25, stating, "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."The legal challenge asserts that the UP government's requirement for establishment owners to disclose religious and caste identities under "lawful license requirements" violates shop, dhaba, and restaurant proprietors' privacy rights.During the Hindu month of 'Shravan', numerous devotees journey from different locations carrying 'kanwars' with Ganga water to perform 'jalabhishek' of Shivlings.The sacred period sees many followers abstaining from meat consumption, whilst some additionally avoid foods containing onions and garlic.