The High Court has said this year’s Hajj package cost is inhuman as its cost is too high. Those who are involved in fixing this costly Hajj package may become sharers of the sin.
The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali said these on Tuesday (March 14) during the hearing of a writ petition in this regard.
The writ petition was filed challenging the government decision to fix Tk 6.83 lakh as the Hajj package cost per pilgrim this year.
The HC bench asked the attorney general’s office to get information about the position of the Ministry of Religious Affairs regarding fixing of the Hajj package cost and place the information before the bench to it on Wednesday (March 15).
The HC bench fixed today (Wednesday) for hearing of the petition. Advocate Ashraf-Uz-Zaman, a Supreme Court lawyer and chief coordinator of the Al-Quran Study Centre, filed the writ petition as a public interest litigation with the High Court, seeking its order for the government to reduce and re-fix the Hajj expense.
Advocate Gazi Md Mohsin appeared for the writ petitioner.
Earlier on March 6, Advocate Ashraf-Uz-Zaman sent a legal notice to the Ministry of Religious Affairs in this regard. In the legal notice, he said that they would take necessary steps against the ministry if it fails to re-fix the hajj expense in seven days.
Earlier, Association of Travel Agent of Bangladesh (ATAB), Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) and some others demanded a review of the Hajj package cost.
This year’s Hajj package is the most expensive in Bangladesh’s history as government set Tk 6,83,015 per pilgrim as the cost. However, the actual expense, will exceed Tk 8.5 lakh with sacrificial animal, food and other miscellaneous costs included.
The cost of performing Hajj is high in Bangladesh compared to other countries in the world, including neighbouring India, Pakistan and Malaysia.
On February 2, the Ministry of Religious Affairs announced the Hajj package cost. “Most of the points of the package announced by the ministry are unreasonable and beyond the reach of common people,” said Advocate Ashraf-Uz-Zaman.
