Supreme Court lawyers raise concern over restriction of canteen menu during Navratri

Several Supreme Court lawyers have raised concerns over the decision of the Supreme Court canteen to restrict its menu to only Navratri food during the nine-day festival. The menu does not have meat items and food prepared using or containing onion, garlic, pulses and grains.

The lawyers have written to presidents of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) seeking a reversal of the decision which they deem unprecedented and potentially problematic for the future.

The letter stated that the lawyers in the top court have been observing the Navratri festival all along, and they would bring special food from home for the nine days without any fuss. However, for the first time this year the Supreme Court canteen has announced that it will only serve Navratri food. The letter added that the decision is not only unprecedented and will also set a very wrong precedent for the future.

The lawyers further stated that while they respect the observance of Navratra by their colleagues, it should not be imposed on others who are dependent on the canteen for daily meals. They also stressed that the move contradicts India’s pluralistic traditions, cautioning that allowing such restrictions could pave the way for further impositions in the future.

The letter stated that non-serving non-vegetarian or food with onion-garlic to cater to the wishes of a few is not in keeping with our pluralist traditions and would result in lack of respect for each other. It continued that once this is allowed, it will open the flood gates to a lot of other impositions as well.

Subsequently, the lawyers have urged the SCBA and SCAORA to intervene and request the canteen to restore its normal menu while continuing to offer the Navratra menu as an option for those observing the festival.