PIL for pilgrimage thrown out

The Indian Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a petition seeking a subsidy for pilgrims of various religious faiths, for visiting places of worship in neighbouring countries, as granted by the Government to Muslims for the Haj.

The petitioner had sought subsidy for Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist pilgrims for visiting religious places in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and China.

A Bench headed by the Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said it could not pass any direction for providing subsidy on the lines of the Haj pilgrimage and those who wanted such relief could approach the Government. "We straight away cannot pass any order.

You (petitioner) can go to the Government and make a representation about the places where you want to go," said the Bench, also comprising Justice R.V. Raveendran. Following the remarks of the Bench, the advocate Ashok Kumar Pandey, who had filed the PIL, preferred to withdraw the petition.

Pandey had challenged the Allahabad High Court order dismissing the PIL seeking subsidy for people of other religious faith as granted by the Government to Muslims for Haj pilgrimage.

He had alleged that the actions and activities of Government was discriminatory as far as the grant of subsidies to the Hindus including Buddhist, Jains and Sikhs are concerned for their yatras to religious places in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and China.