Rehri Patri Ekta Manch vs. Govt. of NCT of Delhi and Ors.
Background
A street vendors' welfare association filed a public interest case complaining that when the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) seize vendors' goods for rule violations, they don't prepare an on-the-spot list of what was seized or give vendors a copy, only handing over a fine receipt later that evening, contrary to what the Street Vendors Act, 2014 requires.
Decision Breakdown
The Court accepted the authorities' explanation that preparing a written seizure memo on the spot could tip off other violating vendors nearby to flee before action is taken against them. However, the Court held that Section 19 of the Street Vendors Act still requires a proper, signed list of seized goods to be given to the vendor, so it directed MCD and NDMC to issue such seizure memos (naming the goods, storage shelf number if any, fine amount, and the responsible officer) within an outer limit of 24 hours of the seizure, and required MCD to also photograph or videograph seizures, as NDMC already does.
Lesson Learnt
A legal safeguard for citizens, like getting a written, itemized receipt when your goods are seized, cannot be skipped altogether even for practical enforcement reasons; at most, its timing can be reasonably adjusted (here, allowed within 24 hours instead of instantly).