HC sets 4-month deadline for 140 pending TVC polls in Maharashtra

The Urban Development Department issued a Government Resolution on Monday, setting a six-month deadline for finalising the vending scheme. The court directed authorities to place the draft policy before hawkers’ associations to invite suggestions and to instruct local bodies to facilitate committee formation.

A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande directed the Maharashtra government to constitute elections to all pending Town Vending Committees (TVCs) within four months. The court noted the draft common vending scheme—mandated under the Street Vendors Act, 2014—has been prepared and will be finalised soon. The state said the scheme would initially apply to 320 TVCs, with 140 committees yet to be constituted to be included later. The bench warned that a phased implementation could complicate matters if objections arise after partial rollout. The court emphasised that the lack of duly formed committees for a decade has stalled implementation and ordered elections within four months to enable uniform enforcement across Maharashtra within six months.

A petition was filed by individual hawkers and the Maharashtra Hawkers Federation in the Bombay High Court. The petition alleged that Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation had seized vendors’ goods without following due process under the Street Vendors Act, and it sought safeguards including proper documentation of seized items and timely return as mandated by law.