The court is hearing a plea by a Muslim women's group challenging a ban imposed in 2011 on the entry of women in Haji Ali

Women should be allowed to enter the sanctum of Mumbai's famous Haji Ali Dargah and worship there, the Maharashtra government today told the Bombay High Court.The court is hearing a public interest litigation by a Muslim women's group challenging a ban imposed in 2011 on the entry of women into the Dargah's sanctum by the Haji Ali Trust.At a hearing today, the state government said women cannot be denied a right to equality.The Haji Ali Trust has argued that it imposed the ban four years ago for the safety of women devotees, as huge crowds now visit the shrine. Women's organisations have staged protests at the dargah demanding that they be allowed to offer prayers like men are.There have been demands to allow women entry into a number of places of worship around the country, some of which have banned them for centuries.After a 500-strong contingent of women activists attempted to storm the Shani Shingnapur temple also in Maharashtra last month, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had firmly voted in favour of the women, saying they had an equal right to pray."Indian culture and Hindu religion gives women the right to pray. A change in yesterday's traditions is our culture. Discrimination in praying is not in our culture. The temple authorities should resolve the issue through a dialogue." he had tweeted.The Bombay High Court said today that all parties in the case have to submit written submissions within two weeks. It had said at an earlier hearing that it would decide on the Haji Ali petition after the Supreme Court ruled on the entry of women in the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.The petition in the Supreme Court has sought entry for all women and girls in the Sabarimala temple which, as a practice, does not allow girls after attaining puberty to enter the premises. The temple, however, allows only those women to enter who have reached menopause.