Delhi HC issues notice to centre, state over PIL seeking women’s entry in Nizamuddin Dargah

The Delhi High Court (HC) on December 10 has issued notices to the Centre, AAP government and the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah trust as well on a petition seeking entry of women into the sanctum sanctorum of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.

The HC bench comprising Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao also issued a notice to the trust managing the shrine and sought their stand by April 11, 2019.

The petition sought to frame guidelines ensuring entry of women into the Dargah and declaring the bar as highly “unconstitutional”.

The petition in Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah case was filed on December 6 by a group of women law students hailing from Pune requesting the Centre and other related authorities to remove the ban on the entry of women into the shrine.

The petition claimed that the law students tried to reach out to authorities, including the Delhi Police, but decided to move the court after not receiving any response.

The petition also cited the example of two major Muslim shrines — Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai and Khwaja Moinuddin Dargah in Ajmer — that allow entry of women.