BJP MLA Kailash Gahlot withdraws plea against need for Centre’s clearance for foreign visits

Newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday withdrew his petition before the Delhi High Court that challenged the requirement for state government ministers, including the chief minister, to seek political clearance from the Union government before travelling abroad, PTI reported.

The court accepted his request.

In November, Gahlot quit the AAP and joined the BJP. He won the Bijwasan seat in the recent Delhi polls on a BJP ticket.

In 2022, Gahlot, a minister in Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party government at the time, filed the petition after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was denied permission to attend the 8th World Cities Summit in Singapore.

In his plea, Gahlot argued that the situation was an “abuse of discretion” and that it violates the state ministers’ right to privacy. He also highlighted that his request for clearance to travel to London, on the invitation of Transport for London, which operates the city’s transport systems, went unanswered until it became irrelevant.

“The whimsical and capricious manner in which travel clearances for Indian statespersons are treated is prejudicial not just to the interests of good urban governance in this case, but also national interests in global platforms generally,” the plea had said.

The plea further argued that not only had the Delhi lieutenant governor exceed his authority in advising against…

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