Shillong, July 03: The High Court of Meghalaya has issued new directives to resolve the ongoing dispute between hawkers and local authorities in the Police Bazar area of Shillong. The order, dated July 3, 2025, addresses allegations of forced eviction without due process and the hawkers’ refusal to relocate to an alternative vending area.
During the hearing, P. Yobin, advocate for the Hawkers’ Association, argued that local and police authorities were forcibly evicting hawkers from the Police Bazar area without providing alternative vending spaces, despite a previous court order. In response, the learned Advocate General, A. Kumar, and his team denied these allegations, contending that an alternative vending area has been allocated, but hawkers are refusing to move. He further submitted that all licensed vendors could be accommodated in the new area shortly.
To ensure a fair and peaceful resolution, the High Court, comprising Chief Justice I.P. Mukerji and Justice W. Diengdoh, issued the following directions:
Subhasis Chakrawarty, Senior Advocate, has been appointed as a Special Officer with an initial remuneration of Rs 75,000, to be paid by the State by July 11, 2025.
The Special Officer, in consultation with the General Secretary of the Hawkers’ Association and local and police authorities, will prepare a list of approximately 349 authorized or licensed vendors. Other vendors in the Police Bazar area will be treated as unlicensed, and the Special Officer, along with the General Secretary of the Association, local, and police authorities, will ensure these unlicensed vendors do not operate in the area.
Licensed vendors will be permitted to sell merchandise in their current location for a limited time each day: from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM and from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM. This is subject to an undertaking from the Association’s General Secretary that these vendors will adhere to the time limits and move out of the area to prevent disruption to traffic and human movement. Any breach of this undertaking will result in the prohibition of all vending in the area.
The General Secretary of the Hawkers’ Association has undertaken to ensure that as soon as an alternative vending place is provided by the local authority, any vendor will immediately shift. Failure to do so will result in immediate eviction.
Other hawkers are free to apply for valid licenses with the appropriate authorities, which will be considered in accordance with the law. The Court will consider further action based on a report from these authorities regarding these applications.
The Special Officer is tasked with ensuring the implementation of these orders without any breach of peace or commission of any offense, leveraging his knowledge, experience, maturity, and tact.
The Special Officer is required to submit a report, including sub-reports from local and police authorities, to the High Court by the next hearing date, which is fixed for August 5, 2025.
