Punjab and Haryana High Court Clears Bhagwant Mann's France Visit After Centre Denied Political Clearance

On Friday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted Bhagwant Mann permission to make the France trip, overriding the central government's position that withheld political clearance on grounds of a perceived threat to his safety and the lack of any formal invitation extended by French authorities. The state administration alleged that the Centre had applied an unequal standard when handling the Chief Minister's travel abroad. Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya, sitting as a one-judge bench, took up submissions from both the state government and the Centre before issuing the direction. Clearance for Mann's planned trip to France — scheduled to run from 15 to 21 October and to include Chief Secretary K.A. — was withheld by the Ministry of External Affairs, a decision that prompted the government to take the matter before the High Court. Among those present were P. Sinha and Ravi Bhagat, who holds the post of Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. Showcasing Punjab's farm output and food-processing sector to overseas buyers formed the core purpose behind the group's trip, which also looked at opening doors for cross-border commerce. The state government's petition identified the trip as connected to SIAL Paris 2026, a global food-industry trade event running from 17 to 21 October at Paris Nord Villepinte. A display space within the India Pavilion — set up under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) — was made available to the Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd (MARKFED). Officials put forward the case that Punjab's farm output would gain wider exposure through the trip, opening doors for regional producers to meet foreign buyers and drawing in new investment. MARKFED's commitment to covering all travel-related costs associated with the visit was also placed before the court. The state government's petition took aim at the rejection of political clearance, contending that notice of the decision had been issued without any stated rationale or any avenue for the applicant to clarify the visit's intended purpose. In court papers, the state characterised the ruling as lacking any rational basis and contended that it encroached upon powers reserved for the executive branch of state government. Questions about whether foreign travel authorisations were being handled on an equitable basis formed another strand of the objections put forward. Federal authorities raised objections to the proposed trip, pointing to potential threats against the Chief Minister from groups linked to the Khalistan movement as grounds for their position. Questions were also raised about why no formal invitation had come from the French government, and what arrangements would be needed to keep Mann safe during the trip. Arrangements involving the Indian mission and French authorities, the state government maintained, were well within reach of coordination. On reviewing the submissions put before it, the High Court sided with the state government's petition, removing the legal obstacle that had arisen from the refusal of political clearance.

Punjab and Haryana High Court Clears Bhagwant Mann's France Visit After Centre Denied Political Clearance

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Punjab and Haryana High Court Clears Bhagwant Mann's France Visit After Centre Denied Political Clearance

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