The first batch of 900 pilgrims on Thursday left for Jeddah in three flights from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi to attend the annual Haj pilgrimage.
Glimpses from the annual Haj pilgrimage outside Mecca.
Two Pakistani members of Parliament have accused Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani's son of being involved in corruption in the hiring of accommodation for Haj pilgrims, the Supreme Court has been told.
He pointed out that such a restriction is not prevalent in many Islamic countries.
It was complained that the special financial assistance to the Haj pilgrims from the tax payers' money was discriminatory as no such similar facilities were being extended to Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and other communities.
According to official sources, 82,000 pilgrims would perform Haj through the Haj Committee, while the remaining 55,000 pilgrims would undertake the pilgrimage through private tour operators.
As one of Islam's five pillars, the Haj is enjoined on all Muslims who are physically able to carry it out, but this year the pilgrimage follows uprisings across the Arab world and growing tensions between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite power Iran.
However, it would not be given to Income Tax payees and to those who do not avail of Haj committee accommodation.
The actor and his mother was spotted at the Mumbai airport on November 1.
The Union Cabinet dropped the condition laid by previous government to exempt income tax payers from Haj subsidy.
The annual Islamic pilgrimage of Haj that is performed by millions of Muslims every year will begin on October 24.
The Supreme Court on Monday reduced the government's discretionary quota seats for Haj pilgrims to 300 from the 5,050 seats, proposed by it.
The pilgrims will have to pay Rs.20,000 as air fare this time, which is Rs 4000 more than that last year. Besides one of 21 embarkation points -- Patna -- has been replaced by Gaya this time due to certain technical difficulties.
The consulate officials said the two were in good health and their relatives have been informed of their impending release. The case has shocked hundreds of expat families in the Kingdom.
The government will decide steps to be taken by it on the Supreme Court order to end Haj subsidy after receiving the judgment of the apex court on the issue, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said on Monday.
Directing the Centre to eliminate the policy of Haj subsidies over a period of ten years, an apex court bench said, "We hold that this policy (giving subsidies to Haj pilgrims) is best done away with."
The Supreme Court on Tuesday frowned on the Centre's practise of "politicising" the annual Haj pilgrimage by permitting official delegations to accompany the pilgrims, for which the government offers huge subsidy, saying, "It's a bad religious practice."
Over 2 million Muslims, including 136,000 Indians, will begin Haj when they assemble in the valley of Mina as Saudi authorities said preparations have been completed for the world's largest annual gathering after the city underwent a multi-billion overhaul.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has defended his decision to allow the pro-Pakistani hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to perform Haj saying the piligrimage is necessary for all Muslims.
In his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast, Modi said Amrit Kalash Yatra will be organised under the campaign and 7,500 pots carrying soil from different corners of the country will be brought to the national capital along with saplings.
A total of 350 flights from 15 embarkation points will carry the pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, with the first being from Lucknow on November 11. Flights from Nagpur (to Jeddah-170 pilgrims), Kolkata (to Madinah-423 pilgrims), and Srinagar (to Jeddah-215 pilgrims) will also arrive on the first day.
Engineers have been rushed in a special flight, which is expected to land at the airport on Monday afternoon to repair the damage and make it airworthy.
As the identification process continued, authorities did not rule out the possibility of this number increasing.
A pilgrim, identified as Muhammad, said, "We had to go to the Holy Haram early in the morning without a wash. We thought our complaints would be attended to by the time we returned. But we found that our complaints fell on deaf ears."
Altogether 93,903 people, including 89 children and 269 infants, were airlifted by Air India, Indian Airlines and Saudia for Haj pilgrimage in the first phase of the operations, concluding Wednesday, an Air India spokesman said in Mumbai Tuesday.
"The message of Islam is the message of peace and brotherhood. And each one of you is the ambassador of our country," he told a Haj Goodwill Delegation that called on him this morning.
The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that it has decided to restrict the practice of Haj pilgrimage at government subsidy to Muslims as a "once in a lifetime" affair as against the existing policy of "once in five years". In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the government said that new guidelines have been framed to ensure that priority is given to those applicants who have never performed Haj. The government refrained from disclosing the amount of subsidy.
Despite pressure not to act against them, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday sacked two federal ministers after they engaged in an unseemly public spat over alleged corruption in the hiring of accommodation for Pakistani pilgrims for this year's Haj.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to stay the Allahabad high court order directing the government not to provide any subsidy to Haj pilgrims.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress again of planning to redistribute people's property if it is voted to power, but stopped short of saying that the wealth would go to Muslims.
Special efforts are on to trace the pilgrims reported as missing.
The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain the Centre's request to defer till next year its July 23 order limiting the government's discretionary quota for Haj pilgrims.
Amid the global scare following the outbreak of swine flu, Saudi Arabia has asked Haj pilgrims to provide health certificate showing that they have received flu shots two weeks prior to their departure for the holy sites in the country, health ministry said.
More flights will be added from India to Saudi Arabia this year.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has demanded building of a 'Amarnath House' or 'Vaishnodevi House' for Hindus on the lines of 'Haj House' in Mumbai for Muslims.
Five Haj pilgrims from India, including three women, were killed and 19 others injured when their bus met with an accident near Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Some pilgrims also complained about the AI not opening a counter in Madinah to deal with queries relating to lost tickets and other problems, to which Kurian said the decision was taken as there were very few inquiries last year.
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