The Supreme Court on Monday issued an interim stay on directives that required eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners. However, the court mandated that these establishments must continue to indicate the nature of the food being served.

The decision came in response to a plea challenging orders issued by several state governments. The plea was brought to the apex court by the NGO Association of Protection of Civil Rights against the Uttar Pradesh government’s directive.

“It’s a worrying situation. The police authorities are taking it upon themselves to create a divide, so that socially backward minorities face an economic divide,” argued senior advocate C.U. Singh in the top court. Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the petitioners, added, “If I don’t put my name, I’m excluded; if I put my name, I’m excluded.”

Extensive arrangements have been made across several states for the Kanwar Yatra, which commenced on Monday with the beginning of the Sawan month of the Hindu calendar. During this period, millions of Shiva devotees carry holy water from the Ganges in Haridwar to their homes, offering it at Shiva temples along the way.

On Sunday, the BJP’s ally, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), joined the chorus for withdrawing the order, while opposition parties announced their intention to raise the issue in Parliament. The opposition has criticized the directive as “communal and divisive,” arguing that it targets Muslims and Scheduled Castes by forcing them to reveal their identities. In contrast, the BJP has defended the order, citing law and order concerns and the religious sentiments of pilgrims.

At an all-party meeting on Sunday, on the eve of the Parliament session, several opposition parties, including the Congress, DMK, SP, and AAP, condemned the order. They made it clear that they would address the issue in both Houses of Parliament and demanded a government discussion on the matter.