The Supreme Court, on Friday, will hear the appeal of Haji ALi Dargah Trust, challenging the verdict of Bombay High Court allowing women in the inner sanctum of the Dargah.

On Tuesday, the apex court had agreed to hear the appeal by the Dargah Trust.

Earlier, on August 26, the Bombay HC in its verdict had lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah.

The founders of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), Noorjehan FIaz and Zakia Soman had petitioned in the Bombay HC against the ban, calling it unconstitutional.

The PIL had stated that the gender justice is inherent in the Quran and there is no prohibition on women visiting graves. The 2011 ban violates the women’s right to freedom of religion enshrined in Article 25 of the constitution.

Reports said till 2011 there was no ban on women entering the inner sanctum of the dargah. In March 2011 the Dargah Trust decided to impose ban on women entering in the inner sanctum as according to them, it’s a sin as per Islam for women to be in close proximity of a male Muslim saint’s grave.

The women had agitated against the ban in the city and demanded that women should be allowed to pray in the inner sanctum of the famous shrine. However, the clerics called their demands ‘un-Islamic’.

Trupti Desai of Bhumata Brigade, who also supported women’s entry into the dargah has expressed that she hopes that apex court will uphold the decision of the Bombay HC.

Desai said, “I am not really worried as I'm sure the Constitution will emerge victorious again and women will win here as well.”

As a secular state, in India, freedom of religion is a personal thing and everybody has the right to pray according to their religion. Women also carries the same right and as per the constitution they should be allowed to enter into all the religious places, they want.

By Prajakt K