No protection for resident protesting against hawkers

Lillian Pais, one of the Bandra residents who have dragged the municipal corporation to the high court over the hawker menace caused during the annual fair at the Mount Mary Church, failed to get police protection following the alleged threat perception.

Lillian Pais, one of the Bandra residents who have dragged the municipal corporation to the high court over the hawker menace caused during the annual fair at the Mount Mary Church, failed to get police protection following the alleged threat perception.

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A division bench of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice RV More on Thursday refused to grant interim relief to Pais by providing her police protection after she claimed some illegal hawkers have threatened her.

The fair is due to end this Sunday. While keeping the petition for hearing on Monday, the high court has asked the corporation and the state government to file their affidavits on the threat perception to Pais.

Pooja Thorat, Pais’s advocate, argued that despite the high court’s order asking the civic body to monitor the encroachment, there were nearly 600 stalls in the area surrounding Mount Mary church.

The corporation had initiated a drive to remove the encroachers but the police refused to provide protection, said Thorat.

Two applications have been filed opposing the public interest litigation and supporting the hawkers. These are filed by some residents of Bandra village who sell candles and religious articles during the fair.

During the hearing, the court observed that if the corporation grants no objection to these hawkers then it [court] would not entertain the petition.