NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on a batch of petitions challenging its directive mandating eateries and dhabas along the Kanwar Yatra route to display QR codes containing ownership information. The court has sought a response from the state. The petitions, filed by Delhi University professor Apoorvanand Jha and activist Aakar Patel, argue that the QR code requirement amounts to a digital version of religious profiling, in violation of a previous Supreme Court order. In July 2023, the court had stayed similar directives by the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which required food sellers and hawkers to publicly display the names of owners and staff. “We deem it appropriate to pass interim order prohibiting the enforcement of the impugned directives,” the court had said in that earlier order, adding that vendors may only be asked to disclose the kind of food being served, not the identity of those running the establishments. The current petition alleges that the QR code measure is a “wilful disobedience” of the court’s previous ruling. “These steps effectively serve the same unconstitutional end through digital means,” it said, citing media reports confirming that the codes allow customers to access ownership details. It further warns of the “grave and imminent risk” of harm to the rights of affected vendors, particularly those from minority communities. “Vague and overbroad directives deliberately mix up licensing requirements with the unlawful demand to display religious identity, and leave scope for violent enforcement… by vigilante groups and authorities,” the plea added. The petitioners have urged the court to immediately restrain the Uttar Pradesh government from continuing what they call an indirect implementation of a previously blocked policy.
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