Delhi HC Declares Nehru Place District Centre No-Hawking, No-Vending Zone; Allows 90 Vendors at Designated Site

The Delhi High Court has declared the Nehru Place District Centre, except for a specifically designated portion, a “No-hawking zone” and “No-vending zone”, while allowing 90 identified vendors to operate temporarily from an alternative site.

A Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Dinesh Bhatt issued the directions while hearing a batch of petitions and a contempt case concerning hawking and vending activities in the Nehru Place area.

The court observed that photographs taken as recently as September 26 and placed on record by both sides left “no manner of doubt” that the declaration of the area as a no-hawking and no-vending zone should be confirmed.

The Bench also considered protections available to certain vendors under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, along with a Supreme Court ruling of April 9, 2026, which emphasised that authorities must provide workable alternatives to vendors displaced from no-vending zones.

The High Court noted that more than 400 vendors were currently operating in the Nehru Place District Centre, “most of whom are clearly unauthorised”. It identified 90 vendors as having relevant protection or recognition in the connected proceedings. These include 62 vendors associated with Manushi Sangathan, 22 vendors in W.P.(C) 6823/2017 and six vendors covered by two other connected petitions.

Considering that the Town Vending Committee-II (TVC-II) was about to be constituted and that the identified vendors had been operating in the area for several years, the court permitted them to vend from designated Site X shown on the map accompanying the judgment.

The 90 vendors listed in Annexure A have been directed to shift to Site X by October 12, 2026.

The court clarified that TVC-II, after its constitution, will determine whether the vendors are entitled to Certificates of Vending and, if so, the areas in which they may operate. The committee has been directed to take the decision within two months of its constitution.

Except for the identified Site X portion, the entire Nehru Place District Centre has been declared a “No-hawking zone” and “No-vending zone”.

The court further said that after October 12, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) would be free to remove all unauthorised vendors from the area.

The Delhi Fire Services has been directed to inspect the Nehru Place District Centre after the removal of unauthorised vendors and submit a compliance report. The Delhi Police have also been directed to cooperate with the MCD and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in implementing the court’s directions.

The matter will next be listed on November 30 for consideration of the Delhi Fire Service’s compliance report.