A group of Muslim women launched a protest at Azad Maidan on Thursday, demanding women be allowed to pray in the Haji Ali Dargah.
Several activists belonging to Muslim women groups held protest with placards demanding entry in Haji Ali Dargah.
Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan member Noorjahan Niaz said, “Who gave [the Haji Ali Trust] the right to stop us?” A petition filed in the Bombay High Court had challenged the decision of the Haji Ali Trust to ban the entry of women in the inner sanctum of the dargah.
Earlier, the Bombay High Court had said it would wait for Supreme Court’s ruling on entry of women in Sabarimala temple of Kerala before deciding on a similar plea in case of Haji Ali Dargah.
The trustees of Haji Ali Dargah had told the court earlier that entry of women in close proximity to the grave of a male Muslim saint is considered as a grievous sin in Islam.
