NEW DELHI: Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot on Monday approached the Delhi High Court challenging the provision which requires state government ministers, including the CM, to seek political clearance from the Centre for foreign visits.
The petition was filed in the backdrop of a recent case where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was denied permission for his visit to Singapore for the 8th World Cities’ Summit from July 31 to August 7. The petition said this was not the first instance of such ‘abuse of discretion’ and noted the chief minister was previously denied permission to attend the C-40 World Mayors’ Summit in Copenhagen in 2019.
It claimed even Gahlot had requested for clearance to visit London at the invitation of Transport for London but there was no response from the authorities concerned in the Central government till the time the request became infructuous.
Gahlot has sought issuance of guidelines to channel and guide the implementation of several Office Memoranda issued by the Cabinet Secretariat, empowering the Centre to grant or deny permission to state government ministers for foreign visits in their official capacity. Gahlot was represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.