Vinay Singh vs. Chairman, Town Vending Committee and Ors.
Background
A street vendor with a 47% locomotor disability, who was missed in the original 2021 vendor survey but later registered on an MCD portal set up for left-out vendors, was removed from his usual spot around Independence Day 2026 events. His written complaint about continuous harassment by MCD officials and Delhi Police went unanswered. MCD contended the site was a "no-vending" zone.
Decision Breakdown
The Court accepted that the road was indeed a non-vending zone but, taking an empathetic view of the vendor's disability and his need for a livelihood, directed the concerned Assistant Commissioner, MCD, to hear him, decide his pending representation, and identify an alternative nearby vending site within a fixed timeline, while the Town Vending Committee-II would separately decide on his portal registration within three months.
Lesson Learnt
Even when a vendor's habitual spot is legally a no-vending zone, authorities are expected to consider practical, humane alternatives, especially for a disabled livelihood-seeker, rather than simply evicting him without any recourse.