- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi, July 22: The Supreme Court has given a landmark judgment regarding hotels in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand on the Kanwar Yatra route. The court ordered that all hotel owners should display their license and registration certificates so that the consumer can get information about the prices and food situation there.
Court’s Comment: “Consumer is king”
A bench of Justices MM Sundaresh and N Kotiswar Singh said during the hearing that,
“The consumer should be fully informed whether the hotel serves only vegetarian food throughout the year or only during the journey.”
“That is a wrong understanding of consumerism. Consumer is the king. If we do not prioritise the consumer, then there is no point. He should know…”, observed Justice Sundresh.
The bench said it was not going into the other issues of displaying the name of the hotel or dhaba owner and the QR code as the Kanwar Yatra is getting over very soon.
“We are told that today is the last day of the yatra. In any case, it is likely to come to an end in the near future. Therefore, at this stage, we would only pass an order that all the respective hotel owners shall comply with the mandate of displaying the licence and the registration certificate as per the statutory requirements,” the bench said.
After the bench dictated the order, Ahmadi submitted that the name of the owner and the QR code need not be disclosed, and emphasised that it has no backing in the law. He argued that religious identity sought to be exposed.
However, the bench said it is not examining that aspect now, and if he intends to challenge it then he can move before the high court.
Information about food changes must be given
The court said that if a hotel is serving only vegetarian food by stopping non-veg food only during the journey, then the consumer should be informed. This can affect the consumer’s choice.
Original license should be displayed
The bench said that even if only vegetarian food is being served now, if the original license allowed both types of food, then that license must be displayed. This is directly related to the consumer’s right to choose.
Trying to find a middle ground, not religious discrimination
Senior advocate Huzaifa Ahmadi argued that non-veg food is not prohibited and hotel owners also have the right to do business.
The court clarified that this order does not discriminate against anyone’s religious identity or any particular person. It is only to protect the right of the consumer.
The court said that this matter is not related to the display of QR code or name of hotel owner. The Kanwar Yatra is almost over, so for today only the license and registration certificate have been instructed to be displayed.
Background: What happened before?
In 2023, the UP, Uttarakhand and M. P. governments issued instructions saying that hotel owners should register their names, employees and religious information.
The Supreme Court stayed the instructions after opposition to this.
It was being said that these were instructions related to discrimination and religiosity.
