Delhi High Court dismisses Turkish firm Çelebi plea against revocation of security clearance

The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea by Turkish ground handling and cargo operator Çelebi Airport Services India challenging the Central government's decision to revoke its security clearance, which led to the termination of its services at Delhi and Mumbai airports..Justice Sachin Datta passed the judgment..The government's decision followed the four-day Indo-Pak military conflict during which the Turkish government had openly backed Pakistan. This prompted the firm to approach the High Court citing violation of natural justice and other grounds..Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Çelebi, contended that the company has been condemned without any proper disclosure on why it was being subjected to such harsh measures, in violation of procedural safeguards including in Rule 12 of Aircraft Rules, 2023. He had argued that the firm should have been given proper notice before being subjected to such measures. "The notice has to say what is the proposed punishment based on the gravamen of facts. It is not a Carte Blanche. Record reasons in writing, not in your mind," he said. .Such 'complete violation of natural justice principles' renders the revocation of the firm's security clearance void, Rohatgi said. He added that the government should at least share a gist of its accusations with the company, not just the Court. .Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta represented the Indian government..He told the Delhi High Court that it could not have given notice of the security clearance revocation to Çelebi, owing to national security concerns in the wake of the conflict between India and Pakistan.He added that the revocation was rooted in concerns over national security under the Aircraft Security Rules, particularly Rule 12, which permits cancellation of licence where there is a potential threat..The Ministry of Civil Aviation, acting through the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), had withdrawn Çelebi’s security clearance on May 15, 2025, invoking national security grounds.Çelebi, a wholly-owned Indian subsidiary of Turkish parent company Çelebi Aviation Holding, challenged the move before the High Court shortly after. The company termed the Indian government's justification for its decision as “vague” and “unsubstantiated,” asserting that such actions jeopardise foreign investor confidence and threaten the livelihoods of over 3,800 Indian employees.The company also clarified that while it has Turkish ownership, operational and managerial control of its Indian entity is handled by an India-based team, and that it has maintained a clean track record for over a decade at major airports.Following the May 15 revocation, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) had terminated its contracts with Çelebi. In Mumbai, domestic operator Indothai has been brought in to take over the firm’s ground handling services. Çelebi has filed a plea challenging such measures before the Bombay High Court as well. .Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatagi, Sandeep Sethi and Darpan Wadhwa with advocates Ritu Bhalla, Sidharth Das, Sarul Jain, Gajanand Kirodiwal, Aditya Rathree and Nitesh Baisoya appeared for Celebi.Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, Central Government Standing Counsel Amit Tiwari, advocates Kanu Agarwal, Amit Gupta, Bhuvan Kapoor, R.V. Prabhat, Saurabh Tripathi, Vinay Yadav, Shubham Sharma, Ayush Tanwar, Ayushi Tanwar, Anjana Gosain, Shreya Manjari, and Urja Pandey appeared for Union of India. Sonal Kumar Singh, Ratik Sharma, Parth Sindhwani and Yashvardhan Singh Gohil appeared for Airport Authority of India.[Read Judgment].[Read Live Coverage]