SC refuses to stay UP govt’s Kanwar route QR code order

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the Uttar Pradesh government's decision mandating eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display QR codes with names of owners after it was challenged on the ground of promoting religious profiling of shop owners.

- Abraham Thomas

The court, however, directed the hotel owners to display their license and registration certificate as required to be done under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 while posting the matter after two weeks for compliance of its order.

The order was passed on separate applications filed by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra and professor Apoorvanand Jha who have challenged a press note issued by the Uttar Pradesh government mandating names of owners to be displayed through QR code in front of the shops.

Both Moitra and Jha said that the regulations issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSAI) do not permit for QR coding. It cited a July 22, 2024 order issued by the top court which stayed a similar direction by the UP police last year directing the eatery owners to display their names and that of their employees in front of the shop. The court order directed that no eatery owner will be forced to display this information. The applications alleged that the present order issued by the UP commissioner of Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) was an attempt to “circumvent” the stay by introducing requirements for QR code.