Women to have access to Haji Ali Dargah

The Haji Ali Dargah Trust in Mumbai on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it was carving out a separate way to facilitate women devotees to access the Mazar (mausoleum) of the Sufi Saint.

When senior counsel Gopal Subramaniam appearing for the Haji Ali Dargah Trust sought two weeks' time to create the way for women, the bench of Chief Justice T.S Thakur, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice L. Nageswara Rao described the development as "positive".

The bench said: "You can have four weeks' time if you are going to strictly comply with the High Court order."

The Haji Ali Dargah Trust had come to Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court order that directed the trust to allow women devotees full access to the Dargah.

The Bombay High Court on August 26 permitted the entry of women to the restricted grave area of the famous Sufi saint Haji Ali in Mumbai.

The Bombay High Court verdict had come on a PIL by Noorjehan Niaz, Zakia Soman and others.

The Haji Ali Dargah is a mosque and dargah located on an islet off the coast of Worli in Mumbai. It is dedicated to Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, a Muslim saint.

--IANS

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