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New Dlehi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday uphled the Centre's Haj policy for 2010 making prior registration of all private tour operators with the external affairs ministry compulsory for sending pilgrims to Mecca and Madina.A bench of Justices M.K. Sharma and A.R. Dave said since the tour operators would start sending over 45,000 pilgrims allocated to them from second week of October, 'we would not like to interfere with the policy decision of the Centre.'
The SC stayed the Kerala HC order quashing the policy to the extent that made prior registration of all the private tour operators with the ministry mandatory.The bench passed the order on an appeal of the Centre, challenging the HC's September 13 verdict, quashing the Centre's policy on a petition by 38 unregistered tour operators, who alleged that the Union government's policy was 'arbitrary' and 'discriminatory' as it had deprived them of sending pilgrims for Haj.
The top court, however, said that there was nothing wrong in making the registration compulsory as the Centre had provided registration facility to 615 tour operators after they had undergone the due selection process.'Any other order at this stage will open a pandora's box,' the apex court said but directed the government that it should consider the applications of the left operators for the 2011 Haj pilgrimage and if found eligible, their names should be included in an additional list.
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The top court, however, said that there was nothing wrong in making the registration compulsory as the Centre had provided registration facility to 615 tour operators after they had undergone the due selection process.'Any other order at this stage will open a pandora's box,' the apex court said but directed the government that it should consider the applications of the left operators for the 2011 Haj pilgrimage and if found eligible, their names should be included in an additional list.
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