India, Nov. 11 -- A foreign national cannot claim an enforceable right to obtain a visa or enter India solely because they were earlier issued a multiple-entry tourist visa or because that visa is still valid, the Delhi high court has said.

In his seven-page order issued on November 5 but released on Tuesday, a bench of justice Amit Mahajan said the issuance of a visa, refusal of entry or granting clearance at immigration is a sovereign function of the State that is embedded in considerations of national security, foreign policy and administrative discretion. The Centre is entitled to take into consideration all the relevant factors that may warrant scrutiny, he added.

The bench made the remarks while hearing a petition by a US citizen,...