Delhi High Court Pulls Up Street Vendor For Filing Misleading Photos To Conceal Encroachment, Imposes ₹25,000 Costs
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The Delhi High Court has pulled up a street vendor for filing misleading photographs to conceal the extent of encroachment at his vending site, observing that he had attempted to hide the true factual position from the Court.
While imposing costs of ₹25,000, the Court nevertheless protected the vendor's livelihood by permitting him to continue vending subject to strict compliance with the conditions of his Certificate of Vending (CoV).
A Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Vikas Mahajan was hearing a plea by a street vendor near Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station seeking protection against alleged harassment by authorities and permission to peacefully vend at his designated location.
During the hearing, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) produced photographs showing that the petitioner was operating a food outlet with multiple tables and chairs, occupying a substantial portion of the footpath. The civic body contended that the photographs filed by the petitioner were misleading and concealed the actual extent of the encroachment.
On perusing the photographs produced by MCD, the Court observed,
"The Petitioner has obviously filed misleading photographs on record in order to hide the true factual position from the Court. The above photographs leave no manner of doubt that the Petitioner is in clear violation of the terms and conditions of the CoV. Thus, the action taken by the authorities cannot be termed as harassment by any stretch of imagination."
It noted that the Petitioner had a duty to place the correct factual position before the Court and that the attempt to mislead warranted imposition of heavy costs. However, considering that the petitioner belonged to the economically weaker section and held only a provisional Certificate of Vending, the Court decided to protect his livelihood.
The Court directed the petitioner to remove all unauthorised encroachments, including tables and chairs, and ordered that he must confine his vending activity to the allotted space, maintain cleanliness, and not erect any permanent or temporary construction.
The Court further directed MCD officials to inspect the petitioner's vend on July 26, 2026. If found compliant with the conditions of the CoV, the petitioner would be permitted to vend peacefully.
Appearance: Mr. Aditya and Mr. Vipin Kumar, Advs. for Petitioner; Mr. Shivam Sachdeva, ASC with Mr. Yash Agrawal, Mr. Sparsh Ruhela, Mr. Amit Kumar, Ms. Sanjana Chib, Advs. for R-1/MCD. Ms. Snehlata Shantilal Surana, Adv with Mr. Nring Chamwibo Zeliang, GP for R-3 and R-4. Mrs. S. S. Surana, CGSC with Mr. Nring Chamwibo Zeliang (GP), Mr. Naved Ahmad and Mr. Waseem Ahmad, Advs. for R-4 and R-5. Ms Vaishali Gupta, Panel Counsel GNCTD (civil) and Ms Aanchal Rajput, Adv. for R-5. for Respondents
Case title: Vinod Ram v. MCD
Case no.: W.P.(C) 9960/2026