‘A little disturbed’, SC asks UP to clarify stand on Kanwar Yatra amid Covid-19

Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports on the Uttar Pradesh government allowing Kanwar Yatra with restrictions amid Covid-19, the Supreme Court Wednesday sought response from the state as well as Uttarakhand and the Centre by Friday. 

A Bench led by Justice Rohinton F. Nariman referred to media reports that UP was pushing for the yatra even as Uttarakhand had suspended it.

The Supreme Court said, “We were a little disturbed given today’s headline in the one newspaper about the ‘Kanwar Yatra’, which is likely to be held from 25 July.”

The court said it wanted the State governments to clarify their stand on the conduct of the yatra amid a public health crisis.

“The citizens of India are completely perplexed. They don’t know what is going on. And all this amid the Prime Minister, when asked about a third wave of Covid striking the nation, saying ‘we cannot compromise even one bit’,” the court remarked.

The Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday allowed the yatra from 25 July despite concerns raised in various quarters over the risk posed by such events in triggering a possible third wave of Covid-19.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi on Tuesday said, “We are talking to Kanwar Sanghs and everything will be done within the Covid protocol. Even if devotees come from other state to UP, they will have to follow those protocols.”

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government has cancelled the ‹Kanwar Yatra› in view of a possible third wave. 

Addressing the media, on Tuesday Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “Kanwar Yatra is a matter of faith but God would not want people to lose their lives for the faith. Every life is precious”.