The Punjab government has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging the central government’s decision to deny political clearance for Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s proposed official visit to France. The state administration has described the refusal as arbitrary, alleging that the Ministry of External Affairs provided no explanation for rejecting the request.
Mann was scheduled to lead a delegation to SIAL Paris 2026, an international food trade exhibition taking place from October 17 to 21. The visit, planned for October 15 to 21, was intended to promote Punjab’s agricultural products, strengthen international trade relations and explore export opportunities for the state’s cooperative sector.
In its 56-page petition against the Union government, Punjab sought the cancellation of the Ministry of External Affairs’ decision, arguing that the proposed visit was connected to the participation of the Punjab State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited (MARKFED), one of the state’s leading cooperative organizations.
According to the petition, MARKFED had been allocated exhibition space within the APEDA India Pavilion by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, an organization operating under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The state government stated that its Department of Cooperation had formally requested political clearance through letters dated September 3 and 8, followed by an online application submitted on September 9. It maintained that the Indian diplomatic mission in France had already been consulted and that the necessary administrative and cadre approvals had been obtained.
Punjab further emphasized that MARKFED would cover the entire cost of the delegation’s visit, placing no financial burden on the central government. Despite completing these formalities, the application was marked as denied on the ministry’s online portal without any explanation or opportunity for the state to respond.
The petition argued that the decision constituted unjustified interference in matters falling within the state’s executive authority under Article 162 of the Constitution and relevant provisions of the Seventh Schedule. The government also claimed that the refusal undermined India’s federal structure by restricting Punjab’s ability to pursue trade promotion activities within its constitutional jurisdiction.
Highlighting the urgency of the matter, the state government requested immediate judicial consideration, noting that the delegation was scheduled to depart on October 15.
The legal challenge has brought renewed attention to relations between the Punjab government and the Centre, particularly over the authority of state governments to undertake international visits aimed at promoting trade and investment.
