Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has observed that it would have been better if the Chief Minister’s pilgrimage scheme was limited to individuals who cannot afford such travel, while declining to interfere in the scheme.
The observation was made by a division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Ramesh Kumar during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by RTI activist Parvinder Singh Kittna.
The petitioner had challenged the scheme on multiple grounds, including the absence of an income criterion. It was argued that without such limits, even financially well-off individuals could avail free pilgrimage benefits funded by public money.
The petitioner’s counsel also referred to a Supreme Court ruling on Haj subsidy, where the Centre was directed to phase out the subsidy over a period of 10 years and redirect funds towards education and social development.
It was further argued that the current scheme, prepared on November 20, 2023, was introduced ahead of the March 16, 2024 parliamentary elections with the intent to influence voters.
The High Court, however, chose not to strike down or interfere with the scheme, while making its observations on the need for better targeting of beneficiaries.
