The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday granted Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's petition contesting the central government's withholding of political clearance for his planned trip to France to participate in SIAL Paris 2026, an international food trade exhibition, according to a broadcast news outlet.

A petition filed by the Punjab government asked the court to nullify the Ministry of External Affairs' ruling on the matter, with state officials characterising that decision as one made without adequate justification.

The proposed visit spanned six days in October, running from the 15th through the 21st, while the exhibition occupied the final five of those days, from the 17th onward.

The petition was granted following arguments heard by Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya's bench, Ferry Sofat — among the advocates acting for the state government in his capacity as Punjab Additional Advocate General — confirmed. The full written ruling had yet to be released at the time of reporting, one broadcaster reported.

Two justifications were put before the court in the government's formal response, Sofat indicated — one rooted in national security considerations, the other in the fact that no invitation had been extended to the Chief Minister. In its application for permission, the state government indicated that the invitation had already been included as an attachment.

Sofat noted that the state had submitted its clearance request well before the deadline, and therefore took the position that the Centre lacked valid grounds under the security heading to withhold permission.

Contained within the 56-page petition filed by Punjab's government was the explanation that Mann's proposed travel related to MARKFED — the Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd., which serves as the state's foremost cooperative body — attending SIAL Paris 2026. The petition stated that APEDA — operating under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry as the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority — had assigned a stall space within its India Pavilion to MARKFED.

According to the filing, the Indian Mission in France had been brought into the consultation process, the requisite administrative and cadre approvals were already in place, and MARKFED stood ready to cover all costs associated with the trip.

At a press gathering in Phillaur, Mann told reporters he was thankful to the high court for permitting the trip. He said he could not understand why judicial authorisation was needed for a trip tied to Punjab's affairs, adding that the high court had cleared the way for him to travel. He questioned whether every matter of this kind would require a legal filing before the courts.

Mann drew a comparison between the curbs placed on his own ability to travel and the overseas trips undertaken by the Prime Minister. He explained that the visit was intended to draw investment to Punjab and allow MARKFED to showcase its products at a food trade exhibition, adding that no political gathering was part of the agenda.

Among the grievances he put forward was the matter of not receiving authorisation to travel to Japan the previous month for hockey competitions tied to the Asian Games. He repeated his position that the planned foreign trips were tied to Punjab's affairs, while pointing out that other officials had been cleared to travel abroad when he had not.