In a landmark verdict, the Bombay High Court on Friday allowed women to enter the inner sanctum of Mumbai’s Haji Ali Dargah.

While pronouncing its judgement on the plea filed by a women’s group challenging the ban on entry of women inside the inner sanctorum of the Dargah, the High Court said that the ban imposed on women is contrary to the fundamental rights of a person as provided in Constitution.

“This is a historic decision, we welcome the High Court’s order, it’s a huge victory for women,” activist and Bhumata Brigade chief Trupti Desai said.

The plea was filed on June 28.

Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Niaz had filed the public interest litigation (PIL), which stated that gender justice was inherent in Quran and the decision contravened the Hadiths, which stated there was no prohibition on women visiting graves.

The state government had earlier told the court that women should be barred from entering the inner sanctorum of the dargah only if it was so enshrined in the Quran. “The ban on women’s entry cannot be justified on the basis of an expert’s interpretation of the Quran,” argued advocate general Shrihari Aney.