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What kind of a Haj pilgrimage is it? The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Centre’s practice to send every year a team of politicians to Saudi Arabia on an all-expenses-paid trip in the name of Haj delegation.
Finding this ironical, having considered the poor Haj pilgrims who are forced to pay lakhs of rupees on trips sponsored by private tour operators, the court decided to set the Haj Policy right for the coming year.
Not hiding its displeasure over the Haj delegation comprising VIPs going annually on Haj, the bench of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Desai said, “It is a very bad kind of religious practice. What kind of a Haj is this?” The court was hearing an appeal filed by the Ministry of External Affairs challenging a Bombay High Court's order asking Centre to transfer 800 Haj allocations from government quota to private operators.
Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati who appeared for the Centre was initially taken aback by the Court's query as the Haj Policy was not under challenge. It was then the bench pointed out, "We are on a larger issue. Although we have stayed the HC order for this year, questions arise in our mind. Maybe it (Haj delegation) has a political use. But it is definitely a bad religious practice."
At the same time, the Court focused attention on the lakhs of Hajis who are left at the mercy of the private tour operators, many of whom are not even registered with the Saudi government. Referring to their plight, the bench said, "We have personally come across Hajis who are sent there by not very scrupulous operators and are made to survive in pitiable conditions."
At present, under the agreement signed between India and Saudi Arabia, the Government sponsors 1.25 lakh pilgrims through Haj Committee while private tour operators get to take only 45,491 odd Hajis. In the latter category, even the airfare rates offered by the government carrier Air India is three times high, causing tremendous pressure on the pilgrims.
Finding this ironical, having considered the poor Haj pilgrims who are forced to pay lakhs of rupees on trips sponsored by private tour operators, the court decided to set the Haj Policy right for the coming year.
Not hiding its displeasure over the Haj delegation comprising VIPs going annually on Haj, the bench of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Desai said, “It is a very bad kind of religious practice. What kind of a Haj is this?” The court was hearing an appeal filed by the Ministry of External Affairs challenging a Bombay High Court's order asking Centre to transfer 800 Haj allocations from government quota to private operators.
Attorney General Goolam E Vahanvati who appeared for the Centre was initially taken aback by the Court's query as the Haj Policy was not under challenge. It was then the bench pointed out, "We are on a larger issue. Although we have stayed the HC order for this year, questions arise in our mind. Maybe it (Haj delegation) has a political use. But it is definitely a bad religious practice."
At the same time, the Court focused attention on the lakhs of Hajis who are left at the mercy of the private tour operators, many of whom are not even registered with the Saudi government. Referring to their plight, the bench said, "We have personally come across Hajis who are sent there by not very scrupulous operators and are made to survive in pitiable conditions."
At present, under the agreement signed between India and Saudi Arabia, the Government sponsors 1.25 lakh pilgrims through Haj Committee while private tour operators get to take only 45,491 odd Hajis. In the latter category, even the airfare rates offered by the government carrier Air India is three times high, causing tremendous pressure on the pilgrims.
