The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognizance of the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to allow the Kanwar Yatra amid the coronavirus pandemic, reported Live Law.
The pilgrimage is undertaken by devotees of Hindu deity Shiva. They collect water, usually from the river Ganga, and offer it at Shiva temples in their respective states. These devotees, called Kanwariyas, cover hundreds of kilometres on foot.
The Uttarakhand government had on Tuesday cancelled the Kanwar Yatra amid fears of a possible third wave of the Covid-19 health crisis. But, Uttar Pradesh Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar told The Indian Express that the state will hold the pilgrimage between July 25 to August 6.
On Wednesday, a Supreme Court bench, led by Justice RF Nariman, sent a notice to the central and the Uttar Pradesh government. The case will be taken up on Friday.
The court said that it took up the matter after reading a report on The Indian Express about the…