Mayor Shelly Oberoi moves HC for political clearance to travel abroad

The matter was mentioned for urgent hearing by her lawyer before a bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, which agreed to list it on Wednesday.

New Delhi:Mayor Shelly Oberoi Tuesday moved the Delhi High Court seeking political clearance by the Centre to enable her to travel to Brisbane for a programme. The matter was mentioned for urgent hearing by her lawyer before a bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, which agreed to list it on Wednesday. The lawyer said Oberoi was not being given political clearance to attend an event in the Australian city.

"Only three working days remain. She has to go on the 9th," stated the lawyer. "Tomorrow we will have it," the bench, also comprising Justice Sanjeev Narula, said. Oberoi has sought permission to attend the 2023 Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayor's Forum in Brisbane City which is scheduled to take place between October 11 and 13.

A separate petition by the city government's Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot challenging the provision, which requires state government ministers including the chief minister to seek political clearance from the Centre for foreign trips, is currently pending before the high court. The petition was filed last year in the backdrop of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal being denied permission for his visit to Singapore for the 8th World Cities' Summit from July 31 to August 7, 2022.

Gahlot's petition has sought issuance of guidelines for 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.