In Brief
Six vendors operating food and pan stalls at Bandra Station Road in Mumbai challenged the Municipal Corporation's removal of their structures. The Corporation claimed the stalls were erected illegally on public sewers without permission and in breach of Section 312 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act. The High Court allowed the vendors' petitions, finding that possession of health licenses protected them from removal and directing the Corporation to provide alternative sites and compensation. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that a health license does not authorize occupation of public land, that Section 314 permits removal of unauthorised structures without prior notice, and that no statutory obligation exists to provide alternate sites. The appeals were allowed and the writ petitions dismissed."
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