‘ Haj pilgrims are not consumers, can’t claim refund’

New Delhi: Haj pilgrims are not consumers, the apex consumer commission has observed while denying relief to a man and his son who claimed refund for being provided lower category services by the Haj Committee of India in 2008 despite paying for a higher category. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ( NCDRC) said that the Haj Committee renders services without any profit motive. “It would thus be seen that the Haj Committee is rendering services without any profit motive and is collecting only the actual expenses incurred by it on making arrangements for the Haj pilgrimage,” it said. “No fee or service charges are being collected by Haj Committee of India from the pilgrims, for rendering its services to them. Therefore, the complainants cannot be said to be the consumer of the Haj Committee of India within the meaning of Section 2( 1)( d) of the Consumer Protection Act,” the NCDRC said. It was hearing an appeal filed by the Haj Committee of India against the Rajasthan state commission order asking it to compensate Abbas Ali and his son Faiyaz Hussain. They claimed that they had deposited 96,940 each for the pilgrimage but when they reached Saudi Arabia, they were not accommodated in the green category and were kept in lower category — ‘ Azizia’. They approached the district forum seeking refund of 22,362, the excess amount allegedly charged from them, but their plea was dismissed. — PTI