AHMEDABAD — In a significant ruling, the Gujarat High Court has directed the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to allocate space at the Bhadra Complex for 586 certified street vendors, reversing their earlier eviction.
The division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice D N Ray declared the eviction of these certified vendors illegal and instructed AMC to reinstate them in the designated vending zone by March 21, 2026. The court emphasised that removing vendors without proper procedure violated the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
According to AMC’s affidavit, 586 certificates had been issued to street vendors — 262 under the Self‑Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and 324 under CELO. The court ordered that the verification of these certificates be completed within one week in the presence of representatives from both organisations.
The ruling follows earlier hearings in which the High Court questioned the legality of removing vendors without fresh surveys or proper process — a move the court said violated its past orders and the street vendors’ rights.
This decision is seen as a judicial pushback against arbitrary evictions, upholding the livelihood rights of informal sector workers in Ahmedabad.
