Char Dham Yatra: Uttarakhand high court denies permission; Orders live streaming

Dehradun, June 28: In a recent development, the Uttarakhand high court has ordered a stay on state Cabinet's decision to permit Char Dham Yatra (four pilgrimage sites) with a limited number of pilgrims. In its decision, the court said it was in public interest and also ordered live streaming of Char Dham shrines.

The high court has scheduled the next hearing in the case to July 7.

The order of the court came after Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat-led BJP government in the state had on June 25 decided to allow pilgrims only from the districts in which the shrines are located - Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag - from July 1.

It can be seen that the Cabinet had made it mandatory to undergo RT-PCR tests for the pilgrims, who would only be allowed in a limited number.

Ahead of the now-annuled Char Dham Yatra for the residents of 3 districts of Uttarakhand, additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines were made available to vaccinate the persons involved in the yatra process.

The additional vaccines were also given to the districts of Tehri and Pauri, which are on the way of the Char Dham Yatra.

The chief minister had also instructed to vaccinate all those who will be in direct contact with pilgrims of the yatra before its commencement, to ensure the safety of both the locals and the visitors.

Guidelines were issued to the concerned officials to vaccinate the priests, shopkeepers, Dhaba operators, local residents, mule operators, cab drivers, and others associated with the Chardham yatra timely.