Mumbai, Apr 7 (UNI) Bombay High Court today asked the Registrar to appoint an officer to verify the illegal stalls and encroachments on the pathway along the internationally famous Haji Ali Dargah at Worli.

A division bench comprising Justices F I Rebeillo and A V Mohta gave the directions today during the hearing of a petition filed by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, seeking court's nod to demolish the illegal structures, except the five stalls that have been stayed from demolition by a city civil court order.

Assistant Government Pleader Ahmed Sayyed contended that on May 17 last year, 100 stalls had already been demolished and the State government had directed the police to prevent them from coming up again.

However, according to the petitioner, around 40-50 structures have come up, which the court officer has to verify and submit a report within two weeks.

The shrine is the tomb of a wealthy Muslim merchant, who renounced all his worldly belongings before embarking on a pilgrimage to Mecca. The tomb itself is over eight hundred years old and linked to the mainland by a path that is submerged during the high tides.

Built in 1431, this monument has been a sentinel to the shores of Mumbai for centuries.

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