The Uttarakhand High Court ordered the stay of the state Cabinet decision of June 25, 2021 on the opening of the Charm Dham yatra for the residents of Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts for a period of four weeks.

The state government has been directed not to permit the pilgrims to reach the Char Dham temples during the period of four weeks. The state government has to ensure that the ceremonies, the pujas and archanas, carried out within the sanctum sanctorum of the Char Dham temples, are live streamed for the benefit of the people at large.

The failure of the civil administration in implementing the standard operating procedure (SOP) - issued by the central government and the state government during the Kumb Mela, Ganga Dusshera and also during the opening of the Neeb Karoli Dham (Kainchi Dham), clearly indicates that SOPs are flouted by the people and "the civil administration does not have the wherewithal for implementing them in sensu stricto," the bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma of the Uttarakhand High Court in its order, June 28, 2021 said.

Permitting Char Dham Yatra, even in a limited manner, has the strong possibility of exposing the people to the danger of Delta Plus variant and to the third wave of Covid-19, the order added.