New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over its decision to allow Kanwar Yatra amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Taking up the matter suo motu, the court observed that the yatra was being permitted at a time when medical experts have sounded a warning bell against large gatherings as the threat of a possible third wave of Covid-19 looms.
A bench headed by Justice R F Nariman issued a notice to the state government and posted the matter for hearing on Friday.
The Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday allowed the yatra from July 25 despite concerns raised in various quarters over the risk posed by such events in triggering a possible third wave of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government on Tuesday cancelled the Kanwar Yatra in view of a possible third wave of COVID-19. It is for the second consecutive year that the yatra is not being held due to the pandemic.
The Indian Medical Association had written to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recently asking him to not allow the yatra to go ahead in the interest of the people of the state and the country.
The fortnight-long yatra which begins with the onset of the month of Shravan by the Hindu calendar goes on till the first week of August and sees a large gathering of Kanwariyas in Haridwar from neighbouring states including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi to collect the holy waters of the Ganga.