Major win for Yogi govt: SC backs Kanwar Yatra hotel rules, lets QR code mandate continue undisturbed

New Delhi: In a major development concerning the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday directed all hotel owners operating along the pilgrimage route to ensure strict compliance with statutory licensing and registration requirements.

"At this stage, all the respective hotel owners shall comply with the mandate of license and registration certificate as required statutorily. We make it clear that we’re not going into the issues being argued. The application stands closed," the Court stated in its order, effectively wrapping up this specific aspect of the matter.

However, the Court took a different stance on the contentious issue of the QR code mandate for food stall owners. Given that the Kanwar Yatra is concluding on Tuesday (July 22, 2025), the bench opted not to delve into the legality of the QR code directives at this juncture. It clarified that the issue related to the QR Code and other similar concerns can be addressed in the main petition, which remains pending before the Court.

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea challenging the Uttar Pradesh government's mandate, which required food stall owners along the Kanwar Yatra route to display a QR Code at their shops. This QR code, upon scanning, was intended to disclose identities and other details, purportedly for public safety and food hygiene.

Petitioners, including academician Apoorvanand Jha and others, had argued that this QR code requirement was a form of "digital profiling" and a circumvention of previous Supreme Court orders. Last year, the apex court had stayed similar directives that mandated the public display of food vendors' names, deeming them a breach of privacy and potentially discriminatory. Petitioners contended that the current QR code system achieved the same "discriminatory profiling" through digital means, raising concerns about potential harassment, particularly for vendors from minority communities.

The Uttar Pradesh government, in its defence, has denied allegations of religious profiling. It argued that the QR code simply allows users to download the Food Safety Connect Mobile App and is part of a broader, nationwide initiative for public health, not specifically designed for the Kanwar Yatra for discriminatory purposes. During the hearings, the court also reportedly observed the need to balance consumer choice with ensuring no discrimination, mentioning how a vegetarian person during a pilgrimage might prefer to visit only vegetarian establishments.
With inputs from ANI