The canteen on the ground floor of the Supreme Court building managed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) served non-vegetarian food on Friday, even though it was serving only Navratri-friendly food on account of Navratri.

The decision to serve non-vegetarian food came after a letter was written by some Lawyers, whose names are not in the public domain, on Thursday, October 3, opposing the decision to serve only Navratri-friendly food at one of the six canteens in the Supreme Court during the nine-day festival.

As a counter to the said letter, around 100 Lawyers had petitioned the SCBA and the SCORA defending the move to serve only Navratri-friendly food as an act of respect for religious traditions.

When Verdictum reached out to the Secretary of the SCBA, Advocate Vikrant Yadav, about SCBA's decision to serve non-vegetarian food, he declined to comment and said that "the issue is now over, and the Courts are on vacation for Dusshera".

Notably, the Supreme Court has six canteens; the one on the ground floor was the only canteen that was to not serve non-vegetarian food for two days, i.e., October 3 and 4, 2024 as the Court is on vacation from October 5. The other five canteens had no such restrictions.

The letter by Lawyers supporting Navratri-friendly food emphasized that Navratri, a significant festival for millions of Hindus, is traditionally observed by abstaining from certain foods, including non-vegetarian items and ingredients like onion and garlic. The letter clarified that the Supreme Court was largely closed during the Navratri period, with only two working days, October 3 and 4, 2024, during which the decision to serve only Navratri-friendly food was implemented.

"It is informed that Navratri brings with it a long, unbroken line of tradition for crores of believers of adopting ‘vrat’ or an abstinence measure during the nine days of the festival. On most occasions, like the present one, the Supreme Court is already closed, and any issue of serving food of any kind to advocates does not arise. On the present occasions as well, it was only 03.10.2024 and 04.10.2024, which were working days during the Navratri festival, wherein the decision was taken to not serve a particular kind of food. It is unfortunate that for two days such an attempt was made to unnecessarily criticise the decision," the letter read.

The Lawyers criticized the objections raised against the canteen’s menu as an "unwarranted controversy," arguing that the move was in line with maintaining the religious sentiments of a large section of Lawyers who observe the festival. It noted that serving food not adhering to Navratri traditions could undermine the religious beliefs of those observing the festival.

The letter further highlighted that the observance of Navratri traditions promotes the pluralist ethos of the Supreme Court Bar, which accommodates diverse religious practices. The letter also pointed out that several private dining options available within the Supreme Court premises continue to serve food without restrictions, offering alternatives for those who do not follow Navratri customs.

"It is stated that in fact such observance is in favour of observance of pluralist traditions of the Supreme Court Bar, which the letter dated 03.10.2024 wrongly seems to refer to. It is requested that the unwarranted controversy sought to be raked up by the letter dated 03.10.2024 must be nipped in the bud and the canteen must continue to observe Navratri friendly abstinence measures. Further, it may be noted that when on the previous occasions the canteen may not have observed such measures, the position of availability of options at the Supreme Court premises was starkly different. As on date, there are numerous other private options at the premises which do not observe any such abstinence, and advocates who do not wish to follow them may dine at the said places," the letter stated.

Responding to suggestions in the first letter that Lawyers observing the fast should bring food from home, the counter-petition condemned such remarks as "tone deaf," ignoring the practical realities faced by many Lawyers. The letter asserted that the objections in the letter dated October 3, 2024, were an attempt to mock the religious beliefs of a significant portion of the Bar and reiterated their support for continuing the Navratri-friendly food arrangements in the Supreme Court canteen.

"The suggestion that advocates observing Navratri vrat must bring food from their houses is tone deaf and ignores the practical reality of numerous lawyers at the Bar. The letter dated 03.10.2024 appears to be an attempt to deride the religious beliefs of a large portion of the Bar and is hereby strongly condemned," the letter read.

SCBA

Sukriti Mishra