HCs can take up street vendor cases: SC

The court also asked the Chief Justice of high courts to nominate a Bench to handle such cases.

Lifting its four-year-old embargo,the Supreme Court has allowed all high courts in the country to take up cases related to street vendors and decide their pleas in accordance with a 2009 policy till the Parliament passes a law to regulate vending and hawking.

The apex court,which had in 2009 restrained other courts from entertaining petitions related to street vendors,noted that the Supreme Court order had not solved the problem either for vendors or for residents of cities such as Delhi and Mumbai,with both parties having to move the court frequently.

The experience has shown that it is virtually impossible for this court to monitor day-to-day implementation of the provisions of different enactments and the directions contained in the judgments. Hence,it will be appropriate to lift the embargo placed on the entertaining of matters by the high courts and we order accordingly, the court said.

The court also asked the Chief Justice of high courts to nominate a Bench to handle such cases. A Bench of Justices G S Singhvi and V Gopala Gowda directed all state governments and municipal bodies to implement the National Policy on Urban Street Vendors,2009.