The Supreme Court today declined to entertain the Centre's request to defer till next year its July 23 order limiting the government's discretionary quota for Haj pilgrims.

A bench of justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai refused to accede to the government plea, put forward by Attorney General G E Vahanvati and counsel Harris Beran to defer its order till next year.

Vahanvati made the submission at the fag end of the hearing of a bunch of petitions by private tour operators (PTOs), who have challenged certain norms fixed by the government for the operators.

On July 23, the apex court had drastically reduced the government's discretionary and dignitaries quota seats for Haj 2012 pilgrims to 300 from the proposed 5,050 seats and had hoped they would be alloted on reasonable basis.

Earlier during today's hearing, the bench maintained that there could be no monopolisation and asked the Centre to frame a fresh PTOs policy for the annual Haj pilgrimage from next year onwards.

The court asked the Attorney General to come out with a new policy for permitting fresh players in private transport sector.

Government today said there is a need to establish a system in the country under which people should go for Haj pilgrimage with their own resources without subsidy.

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid told reporters in New Delhi on the sidelines of a conference on Haj management, that the new arrangement should be such where there is no subsidy and Haj is possible at the right price and people can go to pilgrimage with their own resources and money.

The government will decide steps to be taken by it on the Supreme Court order to end Haj subsidy after receiving the judgement of the apex court on the issue. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today said this in New Delhi while talking to reporters on the sidelines of an All Indian Haj Committee function. He was asked if the Government was planning to file an appeal

against the apex court order.Mr.Krishna said the Apex court has given an interim order and the government is awaiting the final order of the Supreme Court.

Mr.Krishna said the government had decided to come out with its Haj policy for 2012 in January or February itself but it was delayed due to a pending case in the Supreme Court.

Terming the conduct of Haj operations as one of the most complex tasks undertaken by India, the minister said this year's Haj policy has been framed in close consultations with tour operators, Haj Committee and legal experts and a transparent procedure has been adopted by the government.
The minister said, from this year, Haj applications will have to be accompanied by proof of valid passports.

AIR correspondent reports,in its verdict on May 8th, the Supreme Court had directed the government to phase out Haj subsidy within a period of 10 years, saying that this amount can be more profitably used for social and educational development of the Muslim community.

A bench of justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai had quoted Quran to justify doing away with the subsidy, which was around 685 crores rupees in 2011, noting that many Muslims would not be very comfortable to know that their Haj is funded to a large extent by the government.
A number of prominent Muslim leaders had welcomed the court's order, saying that the subsidy was not exactly
benefitting the community and the funds given in subsidy should be allocated for improving the educational and living
standards.

The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it has decided to restrict Haj pilgrimage at government subsidy to Muslims only as a "once in a lifetime" affair as against the existing policy of "once in five years". In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the government said, the new guidelines have been framed to ensure that priority is given to those applicants who have never performed Haj. It said, priority will be given to those who are in the 70 plus category and those who had unsuccessfully applied thrice earlier for the subsidy.

The Centre's affidavit comes in the backdrop of certain searching questions raised by the apex court on February 24. A bench of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai had directed the Centre to provide details of subsidy given by it and criteria adopted for allocation of seats to state committees.