New Delhi:  A petition has been submitted to the Supreme Court challenging a new directive from the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments that requires shopkeepers along the Kanwar Yatra route to display QR codes for accessing ownership information.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in 2024 determined that vendors along the Kanwar Yatra route cannot be compelled to reveal their identities.

It indicated that the requirement to display the names of owners and employees prominently outside shops, dhabas, or restaurants violates Articles 14, 15, 17, 19, and 21 of the Constitution.

In his petition, the applicant referenced various media reports, asserting that all food establishments along the Kanwar route must show QR codes that enable “customers to view ownership information”. Bihar Electoral Roll Revision exercise, politics, and Supreme Court developments

The petition argued that these measures effectively achieve the same unconstitutional objective through digital means, in deliberate defiance of the Supreme Court’s orders.

“Actions by the state that affect privacy and dignity must meet the criteria of legitimate aim, suitability, necessity, and proportionality. The current actions of the respondents fail all four criteria, being neither sanctioned by law nor essential for the stated purpose, and entirely disproportionate in their discriminatory and stigmatizing impact,” the petition stated.

The applicant requested the immediate retraction and adherence to the Supreme Court’s previous rulings, which indicated that the requirement to disclose religious and caste identities under the guise of “lawful license requirements” constitutes a violation of privacy rights.

“There exists a serious and immediate threat of irreparable harm to the fundamental rights of the affected vendors, especially those from minority communities, unless this court issues prompt orders to prevent the respondents from continuing this indirect enforcement,” the petition concluded.

He requested a directive to the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to promptly revoke all QR code-based identification requirements or any other systems that lead to the revelation of owner identity or religious profiling of vendors.

The request emphasized that any actions taken (whether oral, written, or digital, including through QR codes) that enable public disclosure of ownership or employee identity of food vendors along the Kanwar Yatra routes in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand should be halted until the final decision on the current writ petition is made.

Additionally, the plea called for the states to submit affidavits clarifying how the existing mandates do not infringe upon this court’s previous stay or constitutional rights.

The Supreme Court should mandate that requests for adherence to licensing regulations be limited and should not encompass broad and ambiguous instructions to display names and identities, it stated.

The Kanwar Yatra for 2025 is set to take place from July 11 to August 09, 2025.

It has become evident that UP and other authorities are bypassing the stay by reissuing the same directive, which states that “as in the previous year, the name of the operator must be prominently displayed at each shop” under the pretext of public safety and law enforcement, as claimed in the plea.

He requested a directive to the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to promptly revoke all QR code-based identification requirements or any other systems that lead to the revelation of owner identity or religious profiling of vendors.

The request emphasized that any actions taken (whether oral, written, or digital, including through QR codes) that enable public disclosure of ownership or employee identity of food vendors along the Kanwar Yatra routes in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand should be halted until the final decision on the current writ petition is made.

Additionally, the plea called for the states to submit affidavits clarifying how the existing mandates do not infringe upon this court’s previous stay or constitutional rights.

The Supreme Court should mandate that requests for adherence to licensing regulations be limited and should not encompass broad and ambiguous instructions to display names and identities, it stated.

The Kanwar Yatra for 2025 is set to take place from July 11 to August 09, 2025.

It has become evident that UP and other authorities are bypassing the stay by reissuing the same directive, which states that “as in the previous year, the name of the operator must be prominently displayed at each shop” under the pretext of public safety and law enforcement, as claimed in the plea.