Delhi HC notice to 38 officials on hawkers' plea

The Delhi High Court Wednesday issued contempt notice to 38 government officials, including the Delhi police commissioner and an MCD councillor, on a plea by hawkers alleging harassment and for flouting the court's earlier order.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice B.D. Ahmed and Justice Siddharth Mridul issued the contempt notice to Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi along with 20 other police officials.

Municipal Corporation Of Delhi (MCD) councillor Jeevan Lal along with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) commissioner, deputy commissioner, licensing inspector and other officers were also issued contempt notice for defying the court's order.

The court's order came on a contempt plea filed by around 130 hawkers of Harkesh Nagar Subzi Mandi, Okhla Industrial Area Phase II, who formed an association called Delhi Shramik Sangathan (DSS).

The plea said that despite the court's earlier order not to harass the hawkers, police and the MCD continue to torture them.

The court Jan 16 had restrained Delhi Police from interfering with the 130 petitioners saying that their right to pursue street-vending was protected.

The association through advocate Indira Unninayar told the court that police and MCD officials were harassing them to vacate the premises where they have been hawking since the past more than 20 years, and demanding "hafta" (extortion money).

The petitioners alleged that the MCD was piling up garbage in the surrounding area, thereby making their lives miserable.

The Supreme Court through its Sep 9, 2013 order had also directed that no hawker can be removed, the plea said.

Advocate Unninayar said municipal officials, with police assistance, were obstructing the livelihood of street hawkers and humiliating them.

She said officials were beating up hawkers, and later filing false criminal cases against them alleging that they were obstructing public officials in performing their duty.

Seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against the officials, the lawyer said they had even arrested some hawkers who had filed a plea to lead honest and dignified lives in the pursuit of their occupation.

"The inaction by the commissioners and other senior officials of SDMC, MCD and police are also contempt of court orders," the plea said.

Taking serious note of the piling of garbage in spaces where hawkers or vegetable vendors sit and their harassment by police and MCD officials, the court directed the removal of all garbage from the area.