In a landmark judgement, the Bombay High Court today ruled that women should be permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah set in the heart of Mumbai. <br/><br/>A division bench of Justices V M Kanade and Revati Mohite Dere said that a ban imposed by the Haji Ali Dargah Trust on women entering the sanctum sanctorum contravenes their fundamental rights and must be lifted. <br/><br/>Our Mumbai correspondent reports that Bombay High Court said that the ban on entry of women inside Haji Ali Dargah violates their fundamental right to practice any religion. Rebuking the Dargah Trust, the court said it has no right to discriminate entry of women into a public place of worship under the guise of 'managing the affairs of religion'. <br/><br/>In its 56-page judgement, the court refused to accept the claims that allowing women in close proximity to the grave of male Muslim saint was a sin in Islam. The court also refused to accept that the ban was imposed to prevent sexual harassment of women. The bench asked the Dargah Trust to take effective steps like having separate queues for men and women as was done before; adding that the state government is also dutibound to ensure safety of women at such places. <br/><br/>Both the petitioners in the case have welcomed today's decision. While Noorjehan Safia Niaz said this decision was a big victory for women's movement, Zakia Soman said it is a great step towards justice for Muslim women. However, the court has stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by the Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge this decision in the Supreme Court.