Kanwar Yatra: SC To Take Up Hearing Of Plea Against UP Govt’s Nameplate Order For Shop Owners

The issue of placing name plates outside shops along the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttar Pradesh has now moved to the Supreme Court. An NGO has challenged the decision by filing a petition and the court is scheduled to hear the case on July 22.

Lucknow: The issue of putting name plates outside shops on the Kanwar Yatra route in Uttar Pradesh has now reached the Supreme Court (SC). An organisation has filed a petition against the decision. In the petition filed in the Supreme Court, the decision of the Uttar Pradesh government to write the names of shopkeepers on the Kanwar Yatra routes has been challenged. The UP government, DGP and SSP Muzaffarnagar have been made parties in this petition filed by the NGO Association for Protection of Civil Rights. The Supreme Court will hear the case tomorrow i.e; on July 22.

The Uttarakhand government has also been made a party in the petition. It may be recalled that on the lines of Uttar Pradesh, the SSP of Haridwar has also issued such instructions in Uttarakhand. On July 22, the bench of Supreme Court Justice Rishikesh Roy and Justice SVN Bhatti will take up the hearing.

On Thursday, the Muzaffarnagar police revised its first order and tweeted that shopkeepers have to write their names voluntarily. However, this tweet was later deleted. Regarding the Kanwar Yatra, the SSP of Muzaffarnagar has ordered to write the names of the owners and operators on the carts, dhabas and hotels located on the Kanwar Yatra route. The police also started enforcing the orders on the highway and in the city. A nationwide debate started regarding this. Many parties, including Congress, SP and BSP, protested against the government diktat.

CM Yogi issued an order for Muzaffarnagar police

After the Muzaffarnagar police, CM Yogi Adityanath also issued an order that shopkeepers have to write their names on the Kanwar Yatra route. The Chief Minister has instructed the implementation of a new system across the entire state. For any district in Uttar Pradesh where the Kanwar Yatra takes place or has a tradition of being taken out, all shops along the Yatra routes must display the name and identity of the owner. Following the Chief Minister's instructions, the government has issued directives to all District Magistrates, Police Officers, and other senior officials to enforce this measure.

The holy month of Sawan starts on July 22. With the beginning of the month of Sawan, the Kavad Yatra also begins. While the administration has completed all the preparations for the Kavad Yatra, after Muzaffarnagar, the Saharanpur police also issued a unique order to ensure that the Kavad Yatra is completed peacefully. The police said in their order that all shopkeepers must write their names outside their shops.