She added that women activists welcomed the Trust’s decision to accord men and women equal treatment. “Our basic fight was against gender bias and for Constitutional rights. Now that both men and women devotees can access the inner sanctum, we are glad and hope equality will be maintained in other spheres of life,” said Niaz.
Apart from making separate entries for men and women worshippers, the Trust has also decided not to allow any worshipper to touch the saint’s tomb. “Now both men and women devotees can stand almost two metres away from the tomb and nobody can touch it. We are complying with the affidavit we filed in the Supreme Court on October 24 and treating both men and women devotees equally,” said Haji Ali dargah trustee Suhail Khandwani.
