Rai had sought permission to travel to the US from September 15 to 21 to attend the the Columbia India Energy Dialogue being held on September 18

 

Rai had sought permission to travel to the US from September 15 to 21 to attend the the Columbia India Energy Dialogue being held on September 18
Mr. Rai said his official request to attend the event has been rejected, assigning “arbitrary and malafide” reasons.

“The invitation is specific for different persons representing different stakeholders and does not intend to confine delegates at national level only for the formal representation of the country. Therefore, the reason cited herein above is nothing but a colourable exercise of power and accordingly bad in law,” the petition said.

The Minister said he received the invitation to speak at the event on August 13.

The plea argued that the Centre has permitted other officers from different States to attend the event, and the reasons given in the order denying permission to Mr. Rai are completely contradicted by these actions.

“It is also not out of place to mention that Arvind Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Telangana Government is also a part of the programme and has been selected to speak on the issue of balancing energy, security and energy transition priorities in India,” the plea added.