Author: Express News Service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: November 20, 2003
The Madras High Court has upheld
a circular dated June 8, 2003 of the Haj Committee, which applied certain
restrictions for availing the subsidy.granted by the Centre, and demanded
more money than the subsidised Haj fare from those who fell out of the
circular.
The circular stipulated that persons
who had already made a visit to Mecca and those who were income-tax assessees
were not eligible for the subsidy. It also stated that the pilgrims
opting to stay at any Rubats (Arcot Wakf Property at Mecca) were also not
eligible for the subsidy.
In all, 72,000 pilgrims were selected
by the Committee all over India. Of this, Tamil Nadu accounted for 2,700.
The airfare in general was Rs.36,000. It was Rs.12,000 for those
who were economically poor and fell within the ambit of the circular.
In his present petition, S.A. Syed
Ahmed of Kolathur, an income-tax assessee, contended that the authorities
concerned could not suddenly apply restrictions as the seletion for the
pilgrimage was made months ago.
Rejecting the contention, the first
Bench comprising Chief Justice B. Subhashan Reddy and Justice K. Gnanaprakasam,
observed that by no stretch of imagination could it be said the action
of the HajCommitteeor the government was unreasonable or arbitrary.
