Section 4. Issue of certificate of vending
(1) Every street vendor, identified under the survey carried out under sub-section (1) of section 3, who has completed the age of fourteen years or such age as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government, shall be issued a certificate of vending by the Town Vending Committee, subject to such terms and conditions and within the period specified in the scheme including the restrictions specified in the plan for street vending:
Provided that a person, whether or not included under the survey under sub-section (1) of section 3, who has been issued a certificate of vending before the commencement of this Act, whether known as licence or any other form of permission (whether as a stationary vendor or a mobile vendor or under any other category) shall be deemed to be a street vendor for that category for the period for which he has been issued such certificate of vending.
(2) Where, in the intervening period between two surveys, any person seeks to vend, the Town Vending Committee may grant a certificate of vending to such person, subject to the scheme, the plan for street vending and the holding capacity of the vending zones.
(3) Where the number of street vendors identified under sub-section (1) or the number of persons seeking to vend under sub-section (2) are more than the holding capacity of the vending zone and exceeds the number of persons to be accommodated in that vending zone, the Town Vending Committee shall carry out a draw of lots for issuing the certificate of vending for that vending zone and the remaining persons shall be accommodated in any adjoining vending zone to avoid relocation.
How courts have applied section 4
- Courts will not reopen a concluded survey or finalised vending plan; a vendor who failed to participate can still seek future opportunity under Section 4(2).1,2,3
- A certificate under Section 4 is conditioned on survey identification and on the scheme and vending plan, and a petitioner must show an actual application to the Town Vending Committee.4,5
- A certificate of vending is not place-specific; a 'no vending zone' declaration may necessitate relocation to an adjoining zone.6,7
- The Town Vending Committee's decision on a representation for a certificate under Section 4(2) satisfies a court direction to decide the matter.8,9
- Eligibility to vend does not ipso facto confer a right to vote in Town Vending Committee elections, which require individual scrutiny and documentation.10,11
- The Act's scheme bars eviction until survey completion and certificate issuance, giving interim protection to identified vendors.12
Read the full overviewShow less· 4 paragraphs
The judgements here mostly concern the operation of the certificate framework under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, with courts in Delhi, Orissa, Punjab and Haryana, and Allahabad dealing with applications for certificates, challenges to their refusal, and claims arising from concluded surveys. Courts repeatedly declined to reopen completed surveys or finalised vending plans, holding that a vendor who failed to participate in an earlier survey could not later insist on inclusion. Where a survey had concluded and a new plan was being finalised, a petitioner who did not qualify for current categories was refused relief, though courts preserved the vendor's statutory right to participate in future surveys or to apply under Section 4(2) in the intervening period.1,2,13,4,3,14,8,9
A recurring question was whether a certificate of vending had been issued at all, since Section 4 conditions the certificate on survey identification, the scheme, and the vending plan. In Orissa claims of identification and application were rejected where the annexures could not be verified and no application to the Town Vending Committee under sub-section (2) was proved. In Allahabad a challenge to removal notices failed because nothing showed a certificate under Section 4 had been issued, while a flower vendor who possessed no certificate succeeded in an interim challenge to a 'no vending zone' declaration on the ground of non-compliance with the Act. Courts have noted that certificates are not issued in respect of a particular place, and that a 'no vending zone' declaration may require relocation to a new zone.1,4,5,15,16,6,7
The scheme of Sections 3 to 7, including the bar on eviction until survey completion and certificate issuance, was affirmed in one Telangana decision where the court noted the Town Vending Committee's role and the interim protection of vendors holding identity cards. In Delhi, contempt proceedings arose from directions to decide representations under Section 4(2); the courts treated the decision on the representation as satisfying the order, even where the petitioner had only old challans. The Bombay judgements concern elections to the Town Vending Committee under Section 22, holding that eligibility to hawk does not by itself confer voting rights and that the electorate required individual scrutiny and documentation.12,8,9,10,11
One Punjab and Haryana order shows the routine course of disposing of a petition with a direction to decide the certificate application within a specified period. No judgement in this sample questions the validity of Section 4 itself; divergences are factual, turning on whether survey identification, application, or certification had occurred.13,3,4
By court
Outcomes
Judgements applying section 4
In a writ petition under Article 226, the Delhi High Court dismissed the petitioner's claim to reopen a concluded street vendor survey. The court noted the survey was finalized but affirmed the petitioner's statutory rights to participate in any future surveys.
Writ Petition (Civil)OpenPetitioner, a street vendor, sought permission to participate in an NDMC survey for 'tehbazari' holders. The Court dismissed the plea, noting the previous survey was concluded and plans were being finalized. The petitioner was not in the specified categories for any current survey.
Writ Petition (Civil)OpenPetitioner, a street vendor, sought permission to participate in a new NDMC survey for tied-bazar holders. The Court refused relief as the petitioner missed the earlier survey, noting the current exercise is over and limited to verified categories, though retaining his right under the Street Vendors Act for future…
Writ Petition (Civil)OpenCertificate of Vending (CoV); Town Vending Committee; physical survey verified 29.01.2025; digital survey not completed; no acknowledgement receipt; eligible vendors list; survey cannot be reopened; future survey under Section 4, Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014;
Writ Petition (Civil)OpenStreet Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014; certificate of vending; Section 4; Town Vending Committee; no vending zone; Nagar Nigam Kanpur Nagar; Municipal Commissioner counter affidavit; Commissioner of Police; Station House Officer Police Station Gwaltoli; Parmat Temple;
Allahabad High Court, WRIT - C No. - 5302 of 2025, decided 3.3.2025; Vishal Gupta And 5 Others v. State of U.P. and Another; street vendors; encroachment on public land; removal notices (Annexure No. 1); permanent and temporary constructions; unauthorised construction; certificate of vending;
Show 6 more
Street vendors; Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014; Town Vending Committee; survey of existing street vendors; certificate of vending; identity cards; vending zone; no eviction or relocation till survey completed;
DisposedOpenCertificate of Vending; Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014; Section 4; Town Vending Committee; Vending Committee; application dated 10.10.2025; Annexure P-4; Reminder dated 11.11.2025; Annexure P-5; direction to decide within one month; in accordance with law;
DisposedOpenCertificate of Vending; street vendor survey Section 3(1); application under Section 4(2); Town Vending Committee; Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation; Form No. II; genuineness of annexed documents; Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014;
DisposedOpenCertificate of Vending; Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending), 2014; Section 3(1) survey identification; Section 4 and Section 4(2) application; Town Vending Committee; Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation; Form No. II; genuineness of annexed documents unverified;
DisposedOpenWrit petition by 25 street vendors of Chandrabhaga Road side, Konark (holders of Street Vending Identity Cards of 2020), seeking protection under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 and restraint on eviction till rehabilitation in a suitable vending zone.
DismissedOpenStreet vendor eviction and relocation; Chandrabhaga Road side, Konark, Puri; Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 — Sections 3, 4, 38;
DismissedOpen
A street vendor sought a Certificate of Vending from MCD but his spot near Paras Cinema falls in Nehru Place, a declared no-vending zone. The court rejected that prayer, directed MCD to identify alternative vending space, and deferred formal CoV issuance to the yet-to-be-constituted Town Vending Committee-II.
Writ Petition (Civil)OpenChander Kesh Vs Robin Baleja, Chief Executive Officer (Ceo), Delhi Cantonment Board and Anr.
Contempt Case (Civil)Delhi High Court, Sachin Datta, J, order dated 23.03.2026 disposing of contempt petitions CONT.CAS(C) 313/2026, 314/2026, 316/2026 (Sonu, Chander Kesh, Dinesh) alleging wilful disobedience of writ orders dated 01.12.2025 (W.P(C) 18126/2025; W.P(C) 18175/2025) and 28.11.2025 (W.P(C) 18058/2025).
Contempt Case (Civil)OpenSonu Vs Robin Baleja, Chief Executive Officer (Ceo), Delhi Cantonment Board and Anr.
Contempt Case (Civil)Delhi High Court contempt cases CONT.CAS(C) 313/2026, 314/2026, 316/2026 with CM APPL. 18003/2026, 18004/2026, 18002/2026; street vendors Sonu, Chander Kesh and Dinesh versus Robin Baleja, CEO, Delhi Cantonment Board and Anr.;
Contempt Case (Civil)OpenAll India Trade Union Congress Hawkers Union vs Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
Outcome: DisposedStreet Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014; S.22(2)(d) TVC elections Mumbai 29-08-2024; Rule 15 Maharashtra Street Vendors Rules 2016 voters list objections; 99,435 hawkers 2014 survey; 29,008 verification four months; Azad Hawkers Union WP 652/2017 2017 SCC OnLine Bom 10261;
DisposedOpenJanwadi Hawkers Sabha Th. President K. Narayan vs Town Vedning Committee-Mcgm Th. Its Chairperson
Outcome: DisposedHIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY (Ordinary Original Civil Jurisdiction), Coram A.S. Gadkari & Kamal Khata, JJ.; reserved 11.02.2026, pronounced 23.03.2026. Cluster of seven writ petitions (plus two interim applications) by hawker unions and vendor groups challenging the Registered Voters' List (electorate c.
DisposedOpenColaba Causeway Tourism Hawkers Stall Union vs State of Maharashtra Th. Urban Development Dept.
Outcome: DisposedBombay High Court (A.S. Gadkari and Kamal Khata, JJ.), judgment pronounced 23.03.2026 - connected writ petitions (lead WP(L) 29339/2024; WP 3690/2025, WP 3700/2025, WP(L) 7275/2025, WP(L) 25070/2024, WP 727/2025, WP(L) 4024/2025, WP(L) 4022/2025, IA(L) 8953/2025, IA(L) 9689/2025) by Maharashtra Ekta Hawkers Union,…
DisposedOpen
Show 4 more
W.P.(C) 3118/2026, Amit Gupta v. New-Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Delhi HC, 12.03.2026; street vending; Certificate of Vending (CoV); Town Vending Committee survey; not surveyed; no-vending zone Parliament Street; Section 4(2) Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act 2014;
Writ Petition (Civil)OpenStreet vendor petition disposed by Delhi High Court (Prathiba M. Singh, Madhu Jain, JJ.), W.P.(C) 3119/2026, order dated 12 March 2026. Keywords: street vending; Certificate of vending; CoV; Town Vending Committee; TVC; NDMC; New Delhi Municipal Council; survey; missed survey; squatting; Gujrati Market, Janpath;
Writ Petition (Civil)OpenW.P.(C) 2976/2026, Delhi High Court (Prathiba M. Singh & Madhu Jain, JJ.), 10.03.2026 - Nutan v. New Delhi Municipal Council & Ors.; street vending, Certificate of Vending (CoV), Town Vending Committee (TVC), NDMC survey Janpath/Gujrati Market concluded July 2025, non-participation in survey bars directions at this…
Writ Petition (Civil)OpenSatish Kumar v. NEW-DELHI MUNCIPAL COUNCIL (NDMC), High Court of Delhi, W.P.(C) 3011/2026 & CM APPL. 14517/2026, decided 10.03.2026 - street vending; Certificate of Vending (CoV); Town Vending Committee (TVC); Barakhamba Road vending survey concluded July 2025;
Writ Petition (Civil)Open