Court declares Delhi's Nehru Place declared no-vending zone; eviction drive to begin

The Delhi High Court has declared most of Nehru Place District Centre a no-hawking and no-vending zone. The order allows 90 authorised vendors to shift nearby while paving the way for action against unauthorised hawkers.The eviction drive at Nehru Place will begin on October 12. New Delhi,Oct 6, 2026 22:10 ISTThe Delhi High Court has declared the Nehru Place District Centre a "no-hawking zone" and "no-vending zone", and said the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) can remove all unauthorised vendors from the area after October 12. The court also said that once the unauthorised vendors are removed, the Delhi Fire Services should inspect the district centre and submit a report before it.The court, however, allowed 90 vendors to sell from an alternative nearby site from October 12. It said the Town Vending Committee (TVC)-II, once constituted, must decide within two months whether these vendors are entitled to certificates of vending and, if so, the area where they would be allowed to vend.A bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Dinesh Bhatt, in an order passed on October 5, said, "Insofar as the Nehru Place District Centre area, except the identified portion..., the entire Nehru Place District Centre is declared as a 'No-hawking zone' and 'No-vending zone'.After October 12, the MCD is free to take action and remove all unauthorised vendors." The court was hearing various matters, including a contempt petition, linked to vending and hawking in the Nehru Place area. It said Nehru Place had, for several years, become a severe bone of contention for hawkers and vendors. On the 90 vendors permitted to shift to the alternative site, the court said TVC-II should communicate its decision to them in terms of the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act. It also directed the Delhi Police to cooperate with the MCD and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to ensure compliance with its order.The litigation goes back to a 2009 judgment under which 67 vendors were initially allowed to vend in a demarcated area of Nehru Place. The high court later declared the district centre a no-hawking and no-vending zone, and that position was not disturbed by the Supreme Court. The bench was told that more than 400 vendors are currently operating in the Nehru Place District Centre, and that most of them are unauthorised as only 90 vendors are authorised."Apart from the above, none of the other vendors have any valid vending right in the Nehru Place District Centre. Especially after the repeated orders being passed by multiple benches of this court declaring Nehru Place as a 'No hawking zone' and 'No-vending zone'," it said.The high court also referred to a Supreme Court order and said that if street vendors are selling in a no-vending zone, the MCD or the concerned authority has a duty to help them move to a vending zone and provide a workable alternative from where they can earn their livelihood. Overall, the court has cleared the way for action against unauthorised vendors in Nehru Place, while allowing 90 authorised vendors to shift to an alternative site pending a decision by TVC-II.- Ends