The Supreme Court's interim stay on the directive for eateries on the kanwar yatra route to display their owners' names has "demotivated" the Hindu community, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) claimed on Tuesday.
The right-wing organisation also hoped that the "basic human rights" of pilgrims will be "duly understood and protected" in the next hearing of the matter by the apex court.
The VHP's reaction came a day after the Supreme Court on Monday imposed the interim stay on the controversial directives of authorities in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand seeking eateries on the kanwar yatra route to display their owners' names, staff and other details.
Issuing notice to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, where the Ujjain municipal body has issued a similar directive, the court, however, said eateries may be required to display the kind of food they are serving like they are vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
In a statement, VHP secretary general Bajrang Bagda said, "The honourable Supreme Court has granted an interim stay on the arrangements made by the government of Uttar Pradesh in respect of disclosure of identity by the owners or operators of the restaurants and other eateries operating on the route of kanwar yatris." This has "demotivated the Hindu community, Hindu pilgrims and the kanwar yatris", he said.
On the directives, Bagda claimed that these were issued because there have been several incidents over the past couple of years that have hurt the sentiments of the Hindu pilgrims who take "great care" of what they eat and drink to remain 'satvik' according to their dharma and religious practices.
The VHP is "confident that the basic human right or the statutory rights of every community, including the Hindu pilgrims and the kanwar yatris, will be duly understood and protected by the honourable Supreme Court when it hears the case on the next date," Bagda added.
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