Kanwar Yatra Nameplate Row: Supreme Court Issues Interim Stay on Uttar Pradesh Order for Restaurant Name Displays

The Supreme Court has issued an interim stay on a Uttar Pradesh Government order requiring restaurant owners along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their names outside their establishments. The court has ruled that while details of the food served can be shown, restaurant owners should not be compelled to display their identities.

The court referred to the "... implication of (the) directive is spread across multiple states... let notice in these petitions (to UP, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh) be issued. Returnable on Friday."

On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh government, led by Yogi Adityanath, implemented a statewide order mandating that restaurant owners along the Kanwar Yatra route display their names outside their establishments. This move followed a directive from Muzaffarnagar police earlier in the week requiring eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route to prominently display the names of their owners.

The order has been criticised for allegedly targeting Muslim traders and has sparked a controversy with both Bharatiya Janata Party-allied parties and opposition parties speaking out against it.