Aziboy
Banned
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Union government to progressively reduce the amount on Haj subsidy so that the bounty is completely eliminated within 10 years. The court said the government should instead use the money for social and educational development of Muslims.
The court said a large number of Muslims would not be comfortable to know that their pilgrimage is funded to a substantial extent by the government.
Taking exception to the large government delegation that accompanies the pilgrims, the court said it was understandable after the 1971 war with Pakistan. A delegation was necessary then to repel anti-India propaganda by Pakistan at the holy place, the court said. “But there is no need for it now.”
Union law minister Salman Khurshid said the government is working on the issue in the same direction. “The issue of Haj subsidy has been under consideration for the last four years and discussions on rolling back the subsidy also took place,” he said.
The court order came after lawsuits were filed by the Union government and private tour operators (PTOs) in Maharashtra, raising concerns about a Bombay high court judgment on the eligibility to register a PTO for arranging a pilgrimage to Jeddah.
A bench of justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai also asked the Haj committees of Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka to file their response regarding the criteria for selecting pilgrims.
The court also said the government's "goodwill delegation" to Makkah should be reduced to two members only. It currently has 30 people.
India provides billions of rupees every year to people going on hajj.
Pilgrims apply through the Hajj Committee of India and are offered a concessionary fare on the national airline, Air India.
Every year, about 125,000 pilgrims take the subsidy.
The pilgrims are charged 16,000 rupees ($302; £187) air fare. A regular Delhi-Jeddah flight would cost about double that.
Wasim Ahmad, state minister for basic education, said he was "feeling let down" by the Supreme Court ruling, warning that the verdict would deprive poor Muslims of hajj.
"What can I say on this, it is sad... but then it is that way that the SC works," he said.
Last month, the Indian government told the Supreme Court that it had decided to restrict the subsidy to one pilgrimage per person.
At the moment, it is available to a pilgrim once every five years.
Profitable Tour
The SC order said arranging a Haj tour is “more of a profitable business” for private tour operators (PTOs)
As per agreement, no PTO can be given a quota of less than 50 pilgrims. A quota of 50 pilgrims means a profit of Rs 35-50 lakh, the SC said
The Union government spends Rs600-odd crore on Haj subsidy. Last year, 1.25 pilgrims went for Haj
The government has been asked to specify how it scrutinised the applicants and fixed 11,000 seats for them