Batting for hygie✃ne at eateries, Supreme Court judge SVN Bhatti said on Monday he used tღo frequent a vegetarian restaurant run by a Muslim while posted in Kerala as it maintained international standards of hygiene.
Justice Bhatti shared his experience when he was with Justice Hrishikesh Roy on a bench hearing pleas against directives issued by BJP-ruled Uttar Pra🍬desh and Uttarakhand.
The top court stayed the directives asking eateries along the Kanwar Yatra routes to display the names of their owners and staff but said they may be required to display information about the kind of food they a🐭re serving like they are vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
"I have my experience and knowledge when I was in Kerala. I may not state openly as I am a sitting judge of this court. Without disclosing the name of the city, there is a vegetarian hotel run by a Hindu. There is another vegetarian hotel run by a🅘 Muslim."
"As a judge of that state, I was going to the hotel run by a Muslim for vegetarian food. When it comes to food standard and safety, he was displaying everything. He had returned from Dubai. He was maintaining international standards with🌳 regard to safety, cleanliness and hygiene. So it was my choice to go to that hotel," Justice Bhatti said.
Sinꦡghvi said as a consequence of the directives, services of some employees o🅰f the eateries have been terminated.
He asserted the directi𒐪ves lack any constitutional or legal 𒅌backing and infringe upon the secular character of the country.
The top court said the directions and their enforcement will have implications for multiple s༺tates in the country where Kanwar Yatra takes place.
The bench issued notice to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand an⭕d Madhya Pradesh, where the Ujjain municipal body has issued a similar directive, on a host of peꦯtitions against the orders.
The top court was hearing a batch of pleas including those by🐟 Moitra, academician Apoorvanand Jha and columnist Aak𝓀ar Patel, and NGO Association for Protection of Civil Rights challenging the directives.
