MANDATE TO DISPLAY QR CODES ON EATERIES ALONG KANWAR ROUTE IN UP & UTTARAKHAND CHALLENGED IN SUPREME COURT:

An application has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging directives issued by the Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand requiring food vendors along the Kanwar Yatra route to display QR code stickers on their banners. These QR codes enable pilgrims to access personal details of the owners of these establishments. The application seeks a stay on all such directives that mandate or facilitate the public disclosure of ownership or employee identity for food vendors along the Yatra route.

The petitioner, Professor Apoorvanand, argues that these directions are contrary to an interim order passed by the Supreme Court in 2023, which held that sellers cannot be compelled to reveal their identities. According to the petitioner, the current directives represent a deliberate attempt by the government to circumvent that earlier court order. He contends that the use of QR codes this year, while not directly forcing name boards to be displayed, nonetheless reveals the same personal information, thereby achieving the same discriminatory objective previously stayed by the Court.

The application asserts that the government’s directives lack any statutory backing and appear to be aimed at enabling religious profiling of vendors. The petitioner expresses concern that the instructions are designed to target minority vendors under the pretext of transparency and public health regulations. He claims that this could exacerbate communal tensions and potentially lead to incidents of mob violence, especially given the heightened sensitivities during religious pilgrimages like the Kanwar Yatra.

While acknowledging that food vendors are required under law to obtain licenses and display them, the application points out that such licenses are typically meant to be placed inside the premises in a manner that makes them accessible for inspection, not for public display on external billboards. The petitioner argues that the requirement to prominently display names and identities of owners and employees outside the establishment oversteps the legal obligations imposed by licensing laws. He further contends that equating the internal display of a license certificate with the directive to reveal personal details publicly on banners or QR codes amounts to a breach of privacy rights.

According to the application, the directive creates a situation where caste and religious identities are indirectly disclosed under the guise of “lawful license requirements.” It criticizes the government for turning what should be a routine regulatory mechanism into a tool for religious discrimination and profiling. The application also notes that some food establishments have been warned against using names that do not reflect the religious identity of their owners, which, it argues, has no basis in law and is an act of overreach by state authorities.

Filed through Advocate-on-Record Akriti Chaubey, the application has been submitted in the context of an ongoing writ petition filed by Apoorvanand in 2023. The matter is scheduled to be heard by a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices M.M. Sundresh and N.K. Singh on July 15.