Jama Masjid agrees to revoke ban on women visiting alone after LG's intervention: Report

Hours after Delhi's Jama Masjid issued an order banning entry of girls visiting the mosque alone, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena spoke to Shahi Imam Bukhari and requested him to rescind the order.

Imam Bukhari has agreed to revoke the order, with a request that visitors respect and maintain the sanctity of the famous mosque, news agency ANI reported citing sources.

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Earlier in the day, the Jama Masjid administration issued an order, imposing a ban on the entry of girls/women coming alone or in a group.

Soon after this order, the Delhi Commission for Women issued a notice seeking details of the meeting and the person responsible for the decision. It said preventing women from freely entering and practicing their religion in the mosque is highly discriminatory and an extremely regressive practice as a place of worship should be open to everyone, regardless of their gender.

The notice called the order misogynistic and against the ethos of the Constitution of India. "It is therefore strongly recommended that the ban be immediately withdrawn," the commission said.

DCW Delhi chairman Swati Maliwal said that the decision to stop the entry of women in Jama Masjid was absolutely wrong. "I am issuing notice to the Imam of Jama Masjid. No one has the right to ban the entry of women like this," she said. 

Jama Masjid PRO Sabiullah Khan said there was no restriction on girls or women coming with families, and no restriction on married couples either. "Women's entry not banned. When women come alone - improper acts (are) done, and videos (are) shot, the ban is to stop this. No restrictions on families, or married couples. Making it a meeting point inapt for religious places," Khan said while speaking to ANI.