The Supreme Court on July 9 dismissed a plea banning non-residents of the city from offering the Friday prayers at the Taj Mahal. A bench of Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said that Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world and people have several other mosques to offer prayers.
The petition has challenged the January 24, 2018 order passed by the ADM (City) Agra which said that those who are not the residents of the city would not be allowed to enter the mosque at the Taj Mahal for offering the Friday prayers.
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Petitioner Syed Ibrahim Hussain Zaidi, president of Taj Mahal Masjid Management Committee, Agra, told the bench that several tourists visit Agra throughout the year and the order of ADM (Additional District Magistrate) (City), Agra restraining them from offering their prayers at the mosque inside the Taj Mahal was illegal and arbitrary.