Court reserves order on security of Mahim Dargah

Mumbai, Jul 7 (UNI) City civil and sessions court today reserved its order till tomorrow, on a plea moved by trustees of the Dargah of Makdoom Ali Mahimi, popularly known as 'Mahim Dargah', seeking police security, citing possible terror attacks on the shrine.

The trustees of the over 350-year-old dargah, one of the most visited religious landmarks of the city, filed an application in court, saying lack of security around the dargah is a matter of concern.

Arguing before civil Judge A S Tamboli, Advocate Vaibhav Krishna, representing the trust, told the court that the dargah is a unique shrine of public interest, where people from all faiths and religions visit, and there is a security threat to it.

He said the trust is seeking direction after residents of buildings, around the dargah, objected to putting up of a security gate at the entrance.

The court was further told that trust moved the application, following intimation by the Mumbai police of possible terrorist attacks on various religious shrines in the city, including the famous temple of Siddhivinayak at Parbhadevi in Central Mumbai.

The court was urged to call for reports from the home department and state police over possibilities of terror attacks at the dargah.

It may be recalled that residents behind the dargah had objected to the security gate, saying it would interfere with their right to enter their respective premises as they would have to bypass the main gate to gain access to their premises.

Another grievance of the residents is that the security gate creates a hurdle if they want to enter their premises in their vehicles.

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