Street vendors’ rights to carry on their trade in public spaces, has been the subject matter of debate and discussion in India for a while. In fact it has taken numerous judgments of the Supreme Court and High Court to recognise their rights and shape up a statutory regime. Despite this, the sight of street vendors being harassed at the hands of municipal authorities or police officials remains a common occurrence, and their wares are constantly confiscated. This scenario raises an important question, as to what kind of property rights are granted to these street vendors. This paper explores the protection afforded to street vendors which effectively defends their right to property, especially with regard to the recent piece of legislation i.e. the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014.
URL : http://ccs.in/sites/default/files/research/research-property-rights-of-street-vendors.pdf