Shillong, July 28 : The High Court of Meghalaya disposed of MC(PIL) No. 2 of 2025, an application filed by the Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association. The application sought modification of a previous order concerning vending times for licensed hawkers in Police Bazar.
During the proceedings, T. Yangi B., Additional Advocate General, informed the court that the government had fulfilled its commitment to relocate licensed vendors from Police Bazar to newly designated vending areas by the stipulated date of July 22, 2025. This submission was not contradicted by Mr. P. Yobin, the advocate representing the vendors’ association.
The court noted that the original application aimed to modify an earlier order that granted limited vending time to licensed vendors in Police Bazar, as the restricted hours were impacting their businesses. Subsequently, the court had extended the vending time, with the assurance from the government and public authorities that the licensed vendors would be relocated by July 22, 2025.
Given that the relocation goal has been achieved, the court determined that nothing further remained in the current application, leading to its disposal.
However, other issues were raised during the hearing and will be addressed in the main public interest litigation. These include concerns about the wrongful revocation of some vendors’ licenses, which prevented their relocation. Additionally, the court will consider the relocation of licensed vendors from other crowded public places to designated vending areas, the eviction of unlicensed and unauthorized vendors from these locations, and all other related issues.
The main public interest litigation is scheduled for further consideration on August 5, 2025.
The bench comprised Mr. Justice I.P. Mukerji, Chief Justice, and Mr. Justice W. Diengdoh, Judge.
