THE bench headed by Justice S J Vajifdar in Bombay High court on Friday granted interim relief to private tour operators (PTOs) who conduct Haj pilgrimage tours. The court admitted the petition for final hearing which would be held in due course.
The All India Haj Umrah Tour Organisers Association and two Others have filed a petition into the matter. Petitioners have said that the condition of having a certain minimum turnover would put many small-time operators out of business.
The court had last month restrained the Union Government from disqualifying PTOs on the basis of its press release prescribing conditions for them. The court said that eligibility criterion of annual turnover of Rs one crore, laid down by the Ministry of External Affairs, would not be mandatory for the time being.