In a historic judgement, the Mumbai High Court has ruled that women can now enter the inner sanctum of the orthodox Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai. A two-judge division bench of the court, pronounced the verdict after women activists and NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan filed a plea. The historic shrine had earlier banned women from entering the inner sanctum citing that it was a ‘grievous sin’ according to the Muslim law fro women to be in close proximity to the male saint’s grave. The Muslim saint’s grave resides in the inner sanctum of Haji Ali.
Women activist Trupti Desai who earlier ran a campaign to get women access inside the Shani Shingnapur temple, was stopped from entering the premises of Haji Ali when she visited the Dargah. Maharashtra high court however ruled in April this year that women should be allowed into all places of worship where men are given entry.
