The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the demolition of an unauthorised dargah in Maharashtra’s Nashik hours after it had already been bulldozed by the municipal authorities, reported The Times of India.

The Satpeer Baba Dargah in the Kathe Galli area, which had been declared illegal by the Bombay High Court, was demolished between midnight on Tuesday and 6 am on Wednesday.

Clashes broke out on Tuesday night during the demolition, leaving 21 police personnel injured. Three police vehicles were also damaged as a mob gathered at around 11.30 pm near Usmania Chowk and began throwing stones at officers and leaders from the Muslim community who tried to pacify them.

The police have since arrested 15 protesters, filed a first information report against 500 to 1,000 unidentified persons and seized 70 two-wheelers from the scene, The Hindu reported.

On Wednesday, a Supreme Court bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi asked the Bombay High Court Registrar to explain why a petition challenging the April 1 demolition notice had not been listed for an urgent hearing, Bar and Bench reported.

While staying the notice, the court said that the plea was filed before the High Court on April 8 and sought to be listed since April 9, but to no avail.

“We are unable to understand as to what transpired from 9th of April till today,” the bench said. “Learned counsel submits that they have been trying every day [to get the matter listed].”

The Supreme Court stated that it was taking the extraordinary step of staying the demolition as the High Court had failed to list the case “despite repeated requests”.

“This is a serious statement and the learned counsel shall take and feel responsibility of the consequence of such a statement,” the Supreme Court said.

The top court also issued a notice to the municipal authority and listed the matter for further hearing on April 21, The Hindu reported.

The municipality said that they had earlier issued a 15-day notice for the removal of an unauthorised structure built around the dargah.

Several unauthorised structures surrounding the dargah had already been cleared by the Nashik Municipal Corporation’s anti-encroachment team in February. Residents and members of Hindutva organisations had called for the dargah itself to be demolished, claiming that it was unauthorised.

Nashik Central MLA Devyani Pharande had also stated that the February demolition drive was incomplete and the entire site needed to be cleared.

Trustees of the dargah claimed that it was razed “to create communal tension”, The Hindu reported.