The Punjab & Haryana High Court today allowed the Punjab Government's plea challenging the Centre's refusal of political clearance for a visit to France by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and other officials. The delegation planned to visit from October 15 to 21, 2026 to promote trade.

Justice Tribhuvan Dahiya after hearing the matter at length “allowed” the plea.

A detailed order is awaited.

Ad AG Chanchal Singla argued that the Ministry of External Affairs simply marked the application “DENIED” on its e-Pol Clearance portal, without giving any reason or hearing the State. It was argued that the Centre has turned a mechanism “meant for coordination into a veto over the executive functions of the State.”

ASG Satya Pal Jain while submitting a detailed affidavit submitted that the Centre has received inputs about security threats to the CM and added that, “We don't want anything happens to CM abroad.” Referring to the affidavit, the ASG added that in the absence of formal invitation, the security arrangements cannot be made by the host country.

Adverting to the same, Singla submitted that the invitation had already come and it is Centre who has to reciprocate the security arrangement to the other country.

Singla also submitted that Centre is discriminating against Punjab (ruling party AAP) whereas recently Haryana CM (from BJP) had also sought permission to visit abroad and he was allowed.

He added that in recent Japan visit of CM, he attracted ₹2,000 crore investment to the State.

According to the petition, the visit was planned around SIAL Paris 2026, an international food trade exhibition held once every two years. It is scheduled from October 17 to 21 at Paris Nord Villepinte.

MARKFED, the State's apex cooperative marketing federation, was allotted a stall in the India Pavilion of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Commerce. APEDA confirmed the stall on September 3, 2026. The petition says MARKFED would bear the entire cost of the visit.

The State's Department of Personnel gave cadre clearance to the two officers on September 2, 2026. The Department of Cooperation wrote to the MEA on September 3 and September 8 seeking urgent sanction for the visit.

On September 9, 36 days before the planned departure, the State filed an online application for political clearance. The application described the visit as “Promotion of Trade” and bilateral in nature. It stated that the Indian Mission had been consulted and gave detailed reasons why the Mission could not represent the State's interests in its place.

The proposed itinerary included meetings with the Punjabi and Indian diaspora, the opening of the trade fair, a visit to MARKFED's stall, meetings with trade associations, chambers of commerce, importers and investors, and a meeting with the Indian Ambassador to France.

The petition says the MEA neither sought any clarification nor pointed out any deficiency, and did not reply to the State's letters. The application was simply shown as “DENIED” on the portal.

Ad AG Chanchal Singla, Ad AG Ferry Sofat, Advocate Kavita Joshi appeared for the State Government.

ASG Satya Pal Jain, Senior panel counsel Dheeraj Jain appeared for Union.