SC issues notice to Centre on plea seeking entry of Muslim women into mosques to offer prayers

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a petition seeking permission for Muslim women to enter mosques to offer prayers.

A bench headed by Justice S A Bobde issued notice to the Centre and asked it to respond to the plea filed by a Pune-based couple.

The bench told the counsel appearing for the petitioner that it will hear the matter because of the apex court's judgment in the case involving Kerala's Sabarimala temple.

"The only reason we may hear you is because of our judgment in the Sabarimala temple case," the bench said.

The Pune-based Muslim couple on Monday approached the Supreme Court seeking its direction to allow entry of women in all mosques to offer prayers saying that are no records the holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad had opposed women entering mosques and offering prayers.

The petitioners pleaded the court to declare the present practice of prohibiting women's entry in mosques as illegal, unconstitutional for being violative of their fundamental rights. The couple said they filed petition in the apex court after various religious heads of mosques refused their plea to permit women to offer their prayers.

"Like men, women also have the constitutional rights to offer worship according to their belief. At present, women are allowed to offer prayers at mosques under Jamaat-e-Islami and Mujahid denominations, while they are barred from mosques under the predominant Sunni faction. It is submitted that even in the mosques where women are allowed to worship, there are separate entrances and enclosures for men and women. There should not be any gender discrimination and Muslim women should also be allowed to pray in all mosques, cutting across denominations. It is submitted that there is no such gender discrimination in Mecca, the holy city," the petition said.