India top court demands answers on Hindu pilgrimage amid pandemic

Supreme Court says citizens are ‘perplexed’ by the permission to allow the Kanwar Yatra from July 25.

India’s Supreme Court has questioned the government over its decision to allow a key Hindu pilgrimage even as experts warn that a third COVID-19 wave was inevitable in the country. The judges sought answers from Uttar Pradesh state and the federal government over the decision to allow the Kanwar Yatra from July 25, saying they were “disturbed” over the matter, legal news portal Live Law reported on Wednesday. The court said citizens were “perplexed” by the permission, at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and medical experts have warned against large gatherings and urged people to follow physical distancing and other protocols.