Celebi loses review case in Delhi HC
"Action taken is consistent with the judicially evolved principles, which give primacy to legitimate national security considerations."
The Delhi High Court has dismissed a petition filed by Turkiye-based airport services company Celebi Airport Services to revoke its security clearance by the central government.
The Delhi High Court observed that while natural justice is an important constitutional principle but in matters of "security of the realm," natural justice must yield to preserve national security, Live Law reported.
"Justice Sachin Datta, in his order, observed that in the present case, on perusal of the relevant inputs, it had transpired that there are compelling national security considerations involved, which impelled the respondents to take action against Celebi."
The 94-page order says: "Ground handling services at airports offer deep access to airside operations, aircrafts, cargo, passenger information systems and security zones. Such unbridled access to vital installations and infrastructure naturally elevates the need for strict security vetting for operators, and their foreign affiliations. This is particularly true in the wake of contemporary challenges faced by the country in the security domain, and the escalations/incidents witnessed in the recent past with geopolitical factors at play. The action taken is consistent with the judicially evolved principles, recognised across jurisdictions, which give primacy to legitimate national security considerations, even when weighed against the procedural due process."
The Court, in its order, also says it has "no difficulty in appreciating the necessity of maintaining secrecy in respect of document/s on the basis of which the security clearance of the petitioners has been revoked in as much as the disclosure of the same would not be conducive to security and safety considerations and international relations."
Celebi was engaged in providing professional ground handling services at Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi), Cochin International Airport, Bengaluru International Airport, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Hyderabad), and Goa International Airport before its licences were terminated by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on May 15, 2025.
The Bombay High Court is currently hearing petitions from Çelebi regarding the revocation of its security clearance by BCAS and the subsequent termination of its contracts by Mumbai International Airport (MIAL). IndoThai Airport Services, meanwhile, has been appointed as an interim ground handling provider at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai by MIAL.
Celebi handled over 540,000 tonnes of cargo and 58,000 flights annually across Indian airports when its security clearance was cancelled during the war with Pakistan.
