Remove all illegal shrines that came up post-2009: Bombay High Court

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the civic authorities to demolish all the illegal shrines that have come up in Maharashtra post 2009. The division bench of Justices A S Oka and A K Menon passed the direction while hearing a PIL by the NGO 'Society for Fast Justice' against the illegal shrines.

Following a Supreme Court order, the state government had issued a resolution on May 5, 2011, prescribing action regarding the unauthorised religious structures in terms of regularisation, relocation or removal.

"In various cities across the state, a large number of illegal religious structures have sprung up and the governmentscheme of 2011 is hardly being implemented. The Additional Chief Secretary of the home department should personally look into the implementation of the resolution," the court said.

The HC also directed the government and respective local civic bodies to file compliance reports by April 21 and posted the matter for hearing on April 23.

According to the state government, as of February 1, 2015, there were 6,336 unauthorised religious structures, of which 207 were regularised, 179 demolished and three relocated. This includes 138 structures, which came up after September, 2009 and which were demolished. According to the resolution, all the illegal shrines constructed after September 2009 must be removed.