The Delhi High Court on Monday, 10 December, sought the response from the Centre, the AAP government in Delhi and police on a PIL seeking the entry of women into the sanctum of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah in the city.
A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao also issued notice to the trust managing the dargah (shrine) and sought their stand on the plea by 11 April 2019.
The court was hearing a plea by three women law students, who have claimed that the dargah does not permit entry of women into the shrine.
The petition, filed though advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra, has claimed that there is a notice put up outside the dargah – a shrine built over the grave of a religious figure – clearly stating in English and Hindi that women are not allowed inside.
The law students, in their petition, have contended that they made several representations to authorities, including Delhi Police, but no response was received and therefore, they moved the high court.
The plea has sought directions from the Centre, the Delhi government, police and the trust managing the shrine to frame guidelines for ensuring entry of women into the dargah, and declare the bar on entry of women as “unconstitutional”.
The petitioners, who are law students from Pune, have contended that when the Supreme Court has allowed women of all ages into the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala, women in the heart of the national capital were being discriminated against.
According to the petition, the law students came to know of the bar on women's entry at the dargah when they visited the shrine on 27 November to offer prayers.
"Nizamuddin Dargah, by its very nature, is a public place and prohibition of entry of anyone in a public place on the basis of gender is contrary to the framework of the Constitution of India," the PIL said.
It also said that various other shrines like the Ajmer Sharif Dargah and the Haji Ali Dargah do not prohibit entry of women.
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