The Gujarat High Court disposed of a petition filed by 25 street vendors opposing the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s drive of removing handcarts selling non-vegetarian food items, with an instruction to the Ahmadabad Municipal Corporation that if the petitioners approach it within 24 hours to release their seized goods, “based on the policy and in accordance with law, their cases shall be considered as expeditiously as possible.”
The petitioners, represented by advocate Ronith Joy, submitted before the court that the move against handcarts selling eggs and other meat items in Ahmedabad began after a councillor from Rajkot. The petitioners, all from Ahmedabad, had their carts seized “despite their being no order to seize”, they pleaded before Hon’ble Court.
The newspaper reported Justice Vaishnav enquired, “What hurts the municipal corporation (when street vendors sell non vegetarian food)?” Addressing the assistant government pleader present in the court, representing the state, and the additional chief secretary of the urban housing and urban development department, the court said, “Call the corporation commissioner and ask him what he is doing. Tomorrow they’ll say I should not have sugarcane juice because it causes diabetes? Or coffee (because it) is bad for health?”
Advocate Chhaya made an immediate submission that the petition has been filed “under some misconception,” as, “There is no drive to remove all non vegetarian handcarts etc. I’ve taken instruction, I’m saying the encroachment on the road, which is a hindrance to public traffic or absolute blockage of pedestrian.”
Justice Vaishnav enquired if the encroachment removal was being undertaken under the guise of targeting non-vegetarian sellers. “Under the guise of implementing something…For example, let’s be very honest, around the Vastrapur lake, if there were hawkers selling eggs and omelete (and) overnight you decide because the party in power decides we don’t want to eat eggs, we want to stop them…you will pick them up and take them away?…Then why are you doing that?…Ask your corporation commissioner to remain present here…how do you dare to indiscriminately pick up people like this?”
Passing an order while recording Chhaya’s submission, the court noted, “Satyam Chhaya on instruction states that the apprehension of the petitioner that the petitioners have been singled out for eviction on the grounds that serving food which is not vegetarian, is misconceived. The action of the corporation to remove hawkers is only when it is found that they are obstructing or hindering public traffic and pedestrians…”
Source: The Indian Express| Image source: Ahmadabad Mirror
