LUCKNOW, May 15 -- The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court recently dismissed a short-term bail application filed by a convict seeking permission to undertake the Haj pilgrimage, stating that the right to perform Haj is not absolute and can be curtailed following imprisonment. The applicant Jahid of the Bahraich district, convicted under Section 304 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, had sought short-term bail on the grounds that he was selected for Haj and had applied along with his wife before the conviction. He also cited Article 21 of the Constitution, claiming the right to travel for Haj as a fundamental liberty. However, Justice Alok Mathur, while rejecting the plea, noted, "I do not find any urgency or any such situation which may necessitate the release of the appellant from custody to perform his Haj Yatra." The court clarified that while the Haj pilgrimage holds deep religious value, it does not supersede the law. "The right to do pilgrimage tour to Haj is not an absolute right but can be curtailed since the appellant has been imprisoned," the order said. The judge also stated that permitting the convict to leave custody for the pilgrimage could raise the risk of him evading legal accountability. "Granting bail on this point may increase the chances of him fleeing outside the clutches of the law of this country," the court remarked in its recent order. htc...