Shillong, August 14, 2025 – The High Court of Meghalaya has directed the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) to submit a detailed report on licensed and unlicensed street vendors operating in the Laitumkhrah area by August 28, 2025.
The directive came during hearings on multiple Public Interest Litigations (PILs) concerning hawkers and street vending in Shillong, including a plea by Seng Samla Laitumkhrah “Ieng Skhem Ha Ka Hok”, a registered society seeking to address unauthorised vending in its locality.
The society urged the court to extend earlier orders on clearing unlicensed hawkers from Police Bazar to Laitumkhrah, citing the need for safer, cleaner, and obstruction-free roads and footpaths.
Opposing the impleadment of the society as a party, the State government and the Hawkers Association argued that the existing PIL already covers the entire city and that expanding participation could complicate proceedings. The State assured that enforcement efforts, currently focused on Police Bazar, would be extended to other areas in stages.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice I.P. Mukerji and Justice W. Diengdoh, allowed the society to attend proceedings for now without being formally added as a party, with the decision on impleadment deferred to August 29, 2025.
The SMB’s report must include the number and names of licensed vendors as well as details of unlicensed vendors in Laitumkhrah. Copies of the report are to be shared with all counsels.
