BartaBangla Desk :: The Supreme Court on Sunday upheld for eight weeks the government decision that pilgrims in 2013 can only fly Saudi Arabian Airlines or Biman Bangladesh for Hajj purposes.
The chamber judge of the Appellate Division Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury also stayed for eight weeks a High Court (HC) order that allowed Hajj pilgrims to fly by whichever airlines they would like to take for performing Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
In response to a stay petition filed by the government, the vacation chamber bench also asked the government to submit a leave-to-appeal petition before it against the HC order in eight weeks.
The hajj flight is scheduled to begin from September 9 and a total of 1.27 lakh hajj pilgrims are expected to perform the holy hajj this year.
On July 29, a HC bench allowed Hajj pilgrims to fly by whichever airlines they would like to take for performing Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
In response to a writ petition, the HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Zafar Ahmad passed the order.
It also issued a rule asking the government why its decision to not allow the Hajj pilgrims to fly in airlines other than Saudi Arabian Airlines or Biman Bangladesh for Hajj purposes should not be declared illegal.
The Secretaries of Religious Affairs, Civil Aviation and Tourism have been asked to reply to the rule within four weeks.
On April 24, the government in a meeting had decided that pilgrims in 2013 can only fly Saudi Arabian Airlines or Biman Bangladesh for Hajj purposes.
In last week, Hajj pilgrim Rezaul Islam, Al-Mahmud Travels proprietor Abdul Kabir Khan and the General Secretary of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) filed a writ petition with the HC challenging the legality of the government decision.
Attorney general Mahbubey Alam appeared for the state during today’s proceedings.