The Bombay High Court on Thursday refused to allow Muslim taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers to offer namaz near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, emphasising that “security is paramount”, Live Law reported.

A division bench of Justices BP Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla was hearing a petition seeking the restoration of a temporary shed near Terminal 1 that was demolished in April, or the allotment of an alternative space in the vicinity, PTI reported.

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The petition was filed by the Taxi-Rickshaw Ola-Uber Men's Union. The Maharashtra government opposed the demand, citing security concerns.

The court noted that the airport authorities had surveyed seven alternative sites, all of which were deemed unsuitable due to threat perceptions, and in view of VVIPs entering and exiting the airport from a gate nearby, Live Law reported.

The counsel for one of the petitioners, Satish Talekar, told the court that there had been no security problems at the shed for the past 30 years, and that the authorities were deliberately preventing Muslim taxi drivers and passengers from offering namaz.

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However, the court did not accept the contention.

“No one is stopping you from praying five times a day,” Colabawalla told the petitioner, according to Live Law. “You can just walk in some Masjid and offer Namaz there... No one is going to stop you there... But here at airport premises when the authorities are saying that there are threat issues and security issues, we cannot allow you here.”

The court said that while Ramzan is an integral part of Islam, offering prayers at any particular location, including near the airport, is not a religious right, PTI reported.

The bench said that while it could not grant any relief to the petitioners, they could approach the airport authorities and seek that a space be allotted when Terminal 1 is redeveloped in the future.