Gujarat Government Defends Non-Veg Food Ban Around Somnath Temple

The Gujarat Government told the High Court on Wednesday that business rights cannot override the religious and cultural character of the pilgrimage destination around the Somnath Temple.

Six restaurant owners had challenged the blanket ban imposed two months ago on the sale and storage of non-vegetarian food within a 500-metre radius of the shrine.

The government noted that over 1.16 crore devotees visited the temple in the past nine months and cited similar restrictions in pilgrimage towns like Rishikesh, Haridwar, and Varanasi.