New Delhi : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked a senior officer of Haj Committee to appear before it and respond on a plea seeking quashing of the guidelines issued for Haj from the year 2018 to 2022, as it debars persons with disabilities from applying for the Haj pilgrimage.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V. Kameswar Rao said no one from the Haj Committee appeared before it despite the fact that a notice was issued.

The bench directed the Chief Executive Officer to be present before it on November 1, the next hearing. It warned of action if he failed to appear before the bench.

The court was hearing a plea filed by lawyer Gaurav Kumar Bansal, who alleged discrimination in the new guidelines, issued on November 27 last year, as they violate the the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPWDA) 2016, which has equality and non-discrimination as its guiding principle.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has opposed the plea saying that such persons were likely to suffer the most in case of an accident or stampede.

—IANS