Supreme Court Questions UP, Uttarakhand QR Code Mandate for Kanwar Yatra Eateries

The Supreme Court of India on 15 July issued notices to the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand over their recent orders requiring all eateries along the annual Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage route to display QR-code-enabled stickers that reveal the names of the owners and link to the Food Safety CONNECT app. The notices follow petitions filed by Delhi University professor Apoorvanand and human-rights activist Aakar Patel, who argue that the directives violate constitutional rights and could expose shopkeepers to harassment. The petitioners have requested an immediate stay on the rules until the court settles the matter. A bench led by Justice B.R. Gavai asked both state administrations to file their responses and set 22 July as the date for the next hearing. Until then, the court has not stayed the directives but said it will examine whether the measures are proportionate and legally justified.