The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday allowed the Punjab government’s petition challenging the Centre’s denial of political clearance for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s proposed official visit to France, where a state delegation was scheduled to promote Punjab’s food and agricultural trade at SIAL Paris.
Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya allowed the plea after hearing arguments from counsel representing the Punjab government and the Centre. A detailed order was awaited when the report was filed. Mann said he and the government delegation were scheduled to leave for France on Friday night.
The proposed visit is linked to the participation of Marketing Federation Limited, or Markfed, Punjab’s apex cooperative, at SIAL Paris 2026. The international food trade exhibition is scheduled to take place from October 17 to 21 and has been described in the court proceedings as a major platform for food innovation and trade promotion.
The Punjab government had approached the high court after the Ministry of External Affairs’ online portal showed its application as “denied” on October 12. According to the petition, the state had first approached the ministry on September 3 and 8 and submitted an online application for political clearance on September 9. The state said the decision did not provide reasons or give it an opportunity to respond to any concerns.
The petition, filed through Ritu Aggarwal, secretary of the department of cooperation, described the denial as “non-speaking, arbitrary, without authority of law and violative of the federal structure of the Constitution”. Punjab’s counsel, Additional Advocate Generals Chanchal K Singla and Ferry Sofat, relied on Supreme Court judgments while arguing that the application had been marked as denied without a hearing.
During Friday’s hearing, Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, representing the Centre, filed an affidavit. He said an email had been sent to the Punjab government on Thursday seeking details of the proposed visit, the threat perception concerning the chief minister and the security arrangements required during the foreign trip. Jain argued that making foolproof security arrangements at short notice would be difficult.
The Centre’s counsel also questioned how the Indian Embassy could facilitate the visit without a formal invitation from the foreign country. The submissions placed security planning, diplomatic facilitation and the process for political clearance at the centre of the dispute.
After the court allowed the plea, Mann expressed gratitude to the high court and questioned the restrictions on the foreign travel of an elected chief minister. In a press statement, he said the delegation was travelling to promote Punjab’s interests and participate in a food festival where Markfed would establish a stall, rather than to hold a political rally.
Mann also referred to a separate proposed visit to Japan for the Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament and questioned why officers could receive permission while he could not. The court’s detailed order and the formal administrative steps following Friday’s decision were awaited.
