Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has issued notices to senior officials of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) following a contempt petition filed by the Nagpur Feriwala Footpath Dukandar Sangathan, challenging the removal of hawkers from Sitabuldi Main Road during the summer vacation in violation of a court order.
The contempt plea, filed by Sangathan General Secretary Razzak Qureshi, alleges that the NMC’s Encroachment Department acted in defiance of a clear High Court directive issued on March 1, 2023. The directive had stated that no punitive action should be taken against hawkers who had at any point been granted a license, even if their licenses were not renewed for any reason.
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15 july 2025
Court issues notices to top officials
After hearing the plea, a division bench comprising Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Sachin Deshmukh issued notices to NMC Additional Commissioner Ajay Charthankar, Encroachment Assistant Commissioner Harish Raut, Dharampeth Zone Assistant Commissioner Prakash Varade, and Encroachment Deputy Superintendent Sanjay Kamble, directing them to file their responses. The petitioner was represented by senior advocate M.G. Bhangde and advocate R.M. Bhangde.
The petitioners argued that the High Court’s March 1, 2023 order explicitly limited municipal action to only those hawkers who had never been issued a license. Despite this, NMC officials allegedly removed licensed and previously registered hawkers from Sitabuldi Main Road, disregarding both the letter and spirit of the court order.
The contempt petition also pointed out that while a Town Vending Committee (TVC) meeting was convened, decisions were made unilaterally without addressing the concerns of hawker representatives. The hawkers claim to have been doing business on Sitabuldi Main Road for over 35 years, and have submitted copies of NMC-issued registration documents in support of their claims.
Majority of hawkers Included in TVC voter list
The petition highlighted that 344 members of the association have been operating on Sitabuldi Main Road, out of which 282 are listed as voters in the TVC elections and had participated in the voting process. Among them, 78 members hold permanent licenses, and 266 have been issued temporary licenses after applying for permanent ones.
The petition further alleged that even during the removal drive, hawkers informed officials about the High Court order, but the administration proceeded with the eviction regardless. This, the petitioner contends, amounts to willful contempt of court.
The case is now pending before the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, which has sought official explanations from the named NMC officials before proceeding further.
