Punjab Govt Moves High Court Over Centre’s Denial Of Clearance For CM Bhagwant Mann’s France Visit

Chandigarh:

The Punjab government has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the Centre's decision to deny political clearance for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s proposed official visit to France. The state government alleged that despite completing all requisite administrative formalities well in advance, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) rejected the approval without assigning any reason.

Taking up the petition on an urgent basis, the High Court directed the Central government to submit its response by Friday morning.

Application Marked 'Denied' Without Reason

According to the petition, the application on the MEA’s online portal was simply marked as "Denied" without any explanation. The state termed the move arbitrary and unconstitutional, pleading that the state was not given an opportunity to present its case. The plea seeks quashing of the denial order and appropriate directions to allow the official delegation to travel.

Delegation Scheduled For SIAL Paris-2026

The official delegation—comprising CM Bhagwant Mann, the Chief Secretary, and the Principal Secretary to the CM—was scheduled to visit France from October 15 to 21 to participate in the prestigious SIAL Paris-2026 international food fair. The visit aimed to explore global trade avenues and export opportunities for Punjab's agricultural and food processing sectors.

Expenses To Be Borne By Markfed

The petition underlined that Markfed had been allotted a stall within the India Pavilion set up by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which functions under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Furthermore, the entire expenditure of the delegation was to be borne by Markfed, with no additional burden on the state exchequer.

Clearances Sought Five Weeks Prior

The Punjab government stated that formal requests were sent on September 3 and September 8, followed by an online submission on September 9—nearly five weeks before the scheduled journey. Necessary administrative approvals and cadre clearances were completed after consulting the Indian Mission in France.

The matter will now be heard on Friday after the Centre submits its reply.