The Gujarat High Court issued notices on Tuesday to the Ministry of Minority Affairs, the Central Haj Committee, and the Gujarat State Haj Committee in response to a plea challenging the excessively high amount of money being collected from Haj pilgrims departing from Ahmedabad this year.
Justice SV Pinto of the court issued notices returnable on June 2 to the Ministry of Minority Affairs (Haj division), Haj Committee of India, and Gujarat State Haj Committee, based on a petition filed by four pilgrims scheduled to embark on Haj from the city.
According to the petitioners, the respondents have been collecting exorbitant and unexplained sums of money from Haj pilgrims from Ahmedabad. They claim that the respondents have failed to provide them with the Saudi Arabian currency exchange and have not given a detailed breakdown of the amounts collected for Haj 2023.
The petitioners pointed out that a circular dated May 6 required Haj pilgrims selecting Ahmedabad as their pick-up point to pay more money compared to those traveling from Mumbai, even though both locations are at a similar distance from Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, they alleged that the respondents did not provide them with the equivalent of 2100 Saudi Riyals (SAR) in exchange currency, nor did they disclose the breakdown of the collected funds for the pilgrimage.
The Haj Committee of India accepts applications from individuals interested in undertaking Haj, with the permissible quota being fixed by the Government of Saudi Arabia.
Pilgrims are required to deposit funds with the Haj Committee, which covers travel expenses from their respective points of embarkation, accommodations in Saudi Arabia, and other logistical arrangements.
A converted currency amounting to 2100 SAR is given to the pilgrims to cover their food and other expenses during their stay in Saudi Arabia.
The petitioners claimed that they were instructed to deposit INR 3,72,824 for their journey from Ahmedabad, while the amount for Mumbai was INR 3,04,843. Pilgrims traveling from Hyderabad and Bengaluru were required to pay INR 3,05,173 and INR 3,03,921, respectively.
The petitioners stated that their request to the Haj Committee, urging them to charge the same amount as in Mumbai and provide them with 2100 SAR, has remained unaddressed thus far.
They appealed to the court to declare the high amount being collected from Haj pilgrims departing from Ahmedabad as “unconstitutional, illegal, arbitrary, and unreasonable,” and to quash and set aside the circular issued on May 6.
Furthermore, the petitioners sought a court directive to ensure that pilgrims are provided with the equivalent exchange currency of 2100 SAR.
