After hearing counsels for the petitioners led by Harish Salve, a bench of Justices Altamas Kabir and B.S. Chauhan directed a stay of all eviction proceedings pending adjudication of the SLP. Till then, it directed, the parties should maintain status quo with regard to possession of shops at the site.

The high court had directed the state government to shift the market after providing alternative sites to the shopkeepers within two months.

'This decision may cause some hardship to the shopkeepers but to strike a balance between the shopkeepers and the pedestrians, shifting of the market is in public interest,' it had observed.

The narrow lane from the Ridge to the Lakkar Bazaar bus stand where most of the shops of the Tibetan market are located is too congested even for pedestrians on an average day.

Geologists also express fear that the haphazard construction activity was dangerous. Last year, major cracks appeared on the Ridge when about 20 shops of the Tibetan market collapsed due to landslides triggered by heavy rain.

The Tibetan market, comprising 103 shops, has been a landmark of the town for the past 40 years. It is the most frequented market by foreigners and college students for cheap clothes, foreign goods, and spices and condiments.