Overview

• The Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments require QR codes on all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route that link to vendor names, FSSAI licenses, hygiene records and menu classifications
• The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is distributing saffron 'Sanatani' stickers marking outlets that serve only vegetarian food to guide Kanwar pilgrims
• Muslim vendors report losing customers after QR codes revealed their names and facing obstacles in code registration, citing informal religious profiling
• Petitioners including Prof. Apoorvanand Jha and activist Aakar Patel filed a Supreme Court plea seeking an interim stay on the directives and government affidavits on their legal justification
• A bench of Justices MM Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh issued notices to both states to respond by July 22 and has scheduled the next hearing for that date