A court in India has overturned a ban on women entering the inner sanctum of Mumbai's Haji Ali mosque.

The high court in Mumbai said the ban "violated the constitution" and was discriminatory to women, lawyers said.

The ban was imposed in 2012 when the trust that runs the 15th Century Sufi shrine said it was a "sin" to allow women to touch the tombs of male saints.

The court, however, has put its order on hold for six weeks to allow the trust to appeal in the Supreme Court.

Zakia Soman of the rights group Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), which had challenged the ban in the high court, has praised Friday's "landmark" ruling.

The order is being seen as a big boost for other campaigns to allow women entry into places of worship.

In recent months, patriarchal managements of Indian shrines - both Hindu and Muslim - that bar women, have been facing unprecedented challenge.