The Gujarat High Court has restored, for now, a ban on the preparation, storage and sale of non-vegetarian food near the Somnath temple, hours after a single judge had struck down the restriction. A division bench led by Chief Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak stayed the earlier judgment on Friday and directed that the Gir Somnath Collector’s notification remain in force.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Pathak and Justice Nirzar Desai, acted on an urgent appeal filed by the Gujarat government. The matter will next be heard on December 26, according to the report by news agency PTI carried by The Times of India.
The restriction applies within a 500-metre radius of the Somnath temple and along six specifically identified roads connecting important religious destinations in the area. These roads form part of the Somnath pilgrimage circuit. The Collector’s notification, dated August 10, 2026, prohibits the preparation, storage and sale of non-vegetarian food in the designated area.
The latest order follows a judgment earlier on Friday by Justice Nisha Thakore, who allowed petitions filed by owners of hotels and restaurants operating near the temple. The single judge had set aside the Collector’s notification after the business owners argued that the restrictions infringed on their fundamental right to conduct a lawful business and earn their livelihood.
The state government immediately challenged that ruling before the division bench. In its submission, the government argued that the constitutional freedom to carry on a business did not mean that every form of commercial activity could be conducted at every location, regardless of the site’s religious, historical and cultural significance.
“Somnath is not an ordinary commercial town but has extraordinary spiritual importance for millions of Hindus,” the state government said, as quoted in the report. The division bench’s stay means that the restrictions will continue to operate while the court considers the matter further.
For restaurants and hotels within the notified zone, the order keeps the existing limits on non-vegetarian food in place. The case also places the regulation of commercial activity around pilgrimage routes before the High Court, with the competing claims of religious-site management, business rights and livelihoods to be considered in the next hearing. The next scheduled hearing is on December 26.
