New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court seeking a direction that the subsidy granted for the Haj pilgrimage and the grant given for the Manasarovar yatra be continued for 2007.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices R.V. Raveendran and D.K. Jain posted the application for hearing on May 7 after Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvati made a mention for early listing.

On a special leave petition filed by the Centre against an interim order of the Allahabad High Court restraining the Union Government from providing funds or giving subsidy for the Haj or for any other pilgrimage, the apex court in September last stayed that order making it clear that the subsidy should be continued only for 2006.

The High Court was requested to expeditiously dispose of the writ petition filed by B.N. Shukla.

The Centre said that even as arguments were about to be completed in the High Court, one of the judges on the Bench recused himself from the hearing. Now the matter was posted before another Bench for a fresh hearing.

In effect, the August 25, 2006 interim order passed by the High Court was revived and the Centre restrained from providing funds or giving subsidy to any community. The Centre said: ``The Haj pilgrimage for 2007 is to take place in Mecca in December. Pilgrims will start leaving India by the second week of November. The Government of India has already started negotiations and meetings with the Government of Saudi Arabia. Meetings with Air-India and Saudi Arabian Airlines, carriers to ferry the pilgrims, have also been held." The Government would have to present its view to the airlines, which would depend on whether the court permitted the travel subsidy or not.

Moreover, the first batch of pilgrims for the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra was to leave on June 1. Unless the Government took an early decision, difficulties would arise, the Centre said.

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