SUPREME COURT CHALLENGE FILED AGAINST MANDATORY QR CODE DISPLAY FOR EATERIES ON KANWAR YATRA ROUTE IN UP & UTTARAKHAND:

An application has been filed in the Supreme Court of India challenging the recent directives issued by the Governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which mandate food vendors along the Kanwar Yatra route to display QR code stickers on their banners. These QR codes, once scanned, enable pilgrims and the public to access the personal details of the shop owners, including their names and identities. The application seeks a stay on all such directives that either require or facilitate the public disclosure of ownership or employee identity of food vendors along the Kanwar Yatra routes in both states.

The applicant, Professor Apoorvanand, has argued that these directives violate an earlier interim order passed by the Supreme Court in 2023. That order had specifically held that food sellers cannot be compelled to disclose their personal identities in a public-facing manner. The current application alleges that the state authorities, instead of complying with the spirit of that judgment, have attempted to bypass it by implementing new measures this year. According to the applicant, these new directives, though framed in the context of safety or regulatory compliance essentially achieve the same effect that the Court had previously sought to prevent, namely the forced disclosure of identities that could lead to religious profiling.

The petitioner further contends that the new mandate requiring the display of QR codes is designed to achieve indirect profiling of vendors based on religion. The application argues that such a directive lacks any statutory backing and has been issued not in pursuit of administrative necessity but to foster religious discrimination and polarisation. It is suggested that the underlying intention of the policy is to make it easier for individuals or groups to identify the religious background of the food sellers, thereby increasing the risk of targeted harassment or even violence, particularly against those belonging to minority communities.

Highlighting concerns about public safety and constitutional protections, the application states that although food vendors are legally required to obtain licenses and to display them within their establishments, the requirement to publicly display the names and identities of owners on billboards or banners placed outside goes far beyond the existing regulatory framework. It is an overreach, the applicant argues, that infringes upon the rights to privacy and equality, and exposes vulnerable groups to mob violence or boycott campaigns during the Kanwar Yatra season.

The petitioner also criticizes the broader narrative under which these directives have been issued. The application asserts that portraying these QR code requirements as extensions of “lawful license obligations” is a misrepresentation. While licenses may indeed include the owner’s name, these are typically displayed discreetly within the premises, where they can be accessed by authorities if necessary. In contrast, the current government mandates require the overt display of personal information in the public domain, often on large signage that can be easily noticed, scanned, and misused.

Filed through Advocate-on-Record Akriti Chaubey, this application has been submitted in continuation of a writ petition initiated by Apoorvanand last year. The matter is scheduled to be heard by a Supreme Court bench comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice N.K. Singh on July 15, 2025. The applicant is urging the Court to intervene and restrain the state authorities from enforcing these measures, citing the urgent need to protect constitutional rights and prevent communal tensions during the religious procession.