Bombay High Court allows women in Haji Ali Dargah
The court verdict came in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the ban on the entry of women inside the inner inner sanctum, which the shrine authorities had imposed in 2012 citing some religious reasons.
A two-judge division bench of the high court, comprising of Justice V M Kanade AMD and Justice Revati Mohite Dhere pronounced the verdict and said any restriction on women at the dargah violates fundamental right to equality.
The PIL was filed by women activists Noorjehan Niaz and Zakia Soman and the NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan.
The Haji Ali Trust defended the ban saying that women being close to the tomb of a male saint would be seen as a grievous sin in Islam.
The ban on the entry of women was opposed by the Maharashtra Government, which said that the trust has to prove that it is a part of religious practice with reference to Quran.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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