Vaishnav Catering Service v. Union Of India And ORS

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI

+ W.P.(C) 1861/2026, CM APPL. 9042/2026, CM APPL. 9043/2026, CM APPL. 9044/2026 & CM APPL. 9045/2026 VAISHNAV CATERING SERVICE .....Petitioner Through:

Mr. Chandan Kumar, Mr. Dinesh Kuamr Tiwary, Mr. Shubham Rai and Ms. Madhu Kumari, Advocates.

versus UNION OF INDIA AND ORS .....Respondents Through:

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE AMIT BANSAL

O R D E R

% 02.04.2026 1.

The present writ petition has been filed seeking extension of the contract period to operate two (2) catering stalls allotted in favour of the petitioner at Patna Junction Railway Station for a period of five (5) years, from 24th March, 2021 to 23rd March, 2026 and from 13th April, 2021 to 12th April, 2026, respectively. The petitioner seeks an extension of 7 months as has been granted in W.P.(C) 6771/2024 vide order dated 30th May, 2024. 2.

A similar batch of petitions have been dismissed by this Court vide judgment dated 25th February, 2026, in W.P.(C) 18000/2025 titled Vandana Mishra v. Union of India & Ors. and other connected matters. 3.

In Vandana Mishra (supra) and other connected matters, the petitioners approached the Court seeking extension of their catering licences by seven (7) months on account of reduced footfall during the COVID-19 W.P.(C) 1861/2026 The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 06/04/2026 at 11:21:15

pandemic. The Court noted that the petitioners had entered into Master License Agreements in March 2021 or thereafter, i.e., after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with full knowledge of prevailing conditions, and the agreements expressly stipulated a fixed tenure of five years with a provision that no further extension or renewal can be granted to the licensees. It was further observed that the respondents had already granted concessions in license fees during the pandemic period.

4.

The facts in the present case are pari materia with the facts in the said writ petitions.

5.

The judgment passed by this Court in Vandana Mishra (supra) and other connected matters has been upheld by the Division Bench of this Court by judgment dated 20th March, 2026, passed in LPA 112/2026. 6.

In view thereof, there is no merit in the present writ petition. 7.

Accordingly, the present writ petition along with all pending application(s) is disposed of.

AMIT BANSAL, J APRIL 2, 2026 ds W.P.(C) 1861/2026 The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 06/04/2026 at 11:21:15