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SHILLONG, JULY 4: The Meghalaya High Court has named senior advocate Subhasis Chakrawarty as a Special Officer to supervise the rehabilitation of hawkers in the Police Bazar area of Shillong. The development was in response to allegations that local and police authorities were evicting street vendors by force without adopting due legal process. The directive on July 3, 2025, was given by Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh after hearing petitions from the Hawkers’ Association.
The court order follows grievances that the vendors were being displaced without being provided alternative vending areas. To curb the problem, the court ordered the state government to pay Chakrawarty the first compensation of ₹75,000 on or before July 11, 2025. His job is to facilitate smooth execution of the court’s previous order dated June 12, 2025, and ensure no disruption of law and order in the process.
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Pending the broader rehabilitation plan, the court has permitted approximately 349 licensed vendors to continue operating in their current locations, but only during designated hours—from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm daily. This interim arrangement comes with strict conditions: vendors must vacate the area promptly after these time slots to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and pedestrian movement.
The Hawkers’ Association General Secretary has pledged the court that all the licensed vendors will adhere to these restrictions. The court warned that if there is a breach of this order, then vending activities in the Police Bazar area would be wholly prohibited.
Chakrawarty will also collaborate with the Hawkers’ Association and local authorities to find unlicensed vendors presently operating in Police Bazar. Those vendors will be disallowed from selling anything in Police Bazar unless they are properly authorized. The court has, however, permitted unlicensed hawkers to apply for vending licenses through legal channels, and final decisions to be taken based on official reports on such applications.
The court also clarified that vendors have to immediately relocate to other vending areas as and when directed by the authorities. The Hawkers’ Association has taken responsibility for ensuring compliance, in case of non-compliance, the court warned of imminent eviction.
In the meantime, the Advocate General disputed the claims of forced evictions, adding that the state has already reserved alternative vending areas but hawkers did not want to shift. State counsel estimated that all licensed vendors can fit into the new areas without undue delay.
Chakrawarty has been asked to file a report—along with sub-reports by the local administration and police—by August 5, 2025, when the case will be heard next.
The High Court was confident in Chakrawarty’s “vast knowledge, experience, maturity, and tact,” citing that these will assist in ensuring effective enforcement of the court orders. The case is being heard in a batch of petitions, including PIL No. 17 of 2021 filed by Philip Khrawbok Shati, PIL No. 9 of 2024 filed by the Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association, and MC(PIL) No. 1 of 2025.
