‘Treat Mumbai and Ahmedabad pilgrims as same’: Plea in HC seeks quashing of Haj Committee circular

With the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the Haj Committee of India, and the State of Gujarat made respondent parties to the plea, the petitioners – who are first-time pilgrims – have pointed out that while the difference in the charges in the two embarkation points between 2017 and 2022 has ranged from Rs 2,000 to nearly Rs 5,850, the difference this year is Rs 67,981.

The petitioners have sought the court’s direction to quash the circular, and that it be held unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary, and unreasonable. They have also urged the court to direct the respondents to treat the pilgrims from Ahmedabad similar to the pilgrims embarking from Mumbai, as has been done in the past.

Once a pilgrim is selected by draw of lots, the requisite amount – charges fixed by the Haj Committee of India – needs to be deposited.

This includes to-and-fro travel expenses from respective embarkation points to Saudi Arabia, accommodation in Saudi Arabia, and other logistics, and exchanged and converted currency of 2,100 SAR (Saudi Riyal) for spending during the pilgrimage, as per officials.

While the charges for those embarking on the pilgrimage from Ahmedabad and Mumbai have remained nearly similar since the two embarkation points are almost equidistant, this year the cost for embarking from Ahmedabad is Rs 3.72 lakh, while from Mumbai it is Rs 3.04 lakh.

This does not include the converted currency of 2,100 SAR, which was earlier given to all pilgrims.

The petitioners have also highlighted that in previous years, the break-up of the amount recovered under various heads was made known and disclosed to the pilgrims. But that has not been done this year, they said.

The petitioners have also submitted that undertaking the pilgrimage through the Haj Committee is the only option available to them. Opting the private tour operators can cost more than Rs 6.5 lakh, which is “beyond their reach and capacity”, they stated.