India's Supreme Court Orders Phase Out of Hajj Subsidy

According to Calcutta's The Telegraph, a two-judge bench of India's Supreme Court yesterday ordered the government to phase out over ten years the government's subsidy for Hajj pilgrims, even though another bench of the Supreme Court had previously held the subsidy constitutional. Currently the government subsidizes each pilgrim the equivalent of $730 (US). The court yesterday apparently based its decision largely on the fact that the Qur'an required Muslims to use only their own funds for making the Hajj. Several Muslim leaders welcomed the decision, some saying that the subsidies benefit Air India more than the pilgrims, and that more competition among airlines could lower the cost. The court yesterday also asked the Haj Committee of India and the state Haj committees to explain further the method they use to select pilgrims. The committees have two months to file a reply.