DU Prof Apoorvanand, Aakar Patel move SC challenging UP, Uttarakhand's Kanwar Yatra eateries order

Delhi University's Hindi Professor Apoorvanand Jha and columnist Aakar Patel have moved the Supreme Court with a petition challenging the directives issued by the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The directive being referred to is the one issued to those owners and employees who have eateries along the route of Kanwar Yatra which instructs them to display their names outside such shops, as stated in a report by LiveLaw.

The petitioners state that this directive affects their "rights under Articles 14, 15 and 17".

"Further the directives also effect rights of those Muslim men who have been fired pursuant to the issuance of the above directives, which is in violation of Article 19(1)(g). Lastly the directives are also in violation of peoples' right to privacy and to dignity, and consequently violative of Article 21 of the Constitution," the petition by Jha and Patel states, as stated in a report by LiveLaw.

Initially 'voluntary', the directive is now being endorsed by the state governments.

First, it was the Senior Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarnagar, that had issued the directive on July 18, 2024. Later it was extended state-wide, stated a report by LiveLaw.

What is Kanwar Yatra?

Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage which is taken up by Shiva devotees. The devotees are also known as Kanwarias or "Bhole".