Çelebi Aviation sues India over 'vague' clearance revocation

Turkish-origin Çelebi Aviation Holding, which provides ground handling services for Indian airports, has launched a legal challenge against New Delhi for overturning its security clearance. They alleged that this move was not well-founded, as it was only based on what they called “vague” national security concerns post Operation Sindoor, a Reuters report said. 

This move comes amid growing public ire about Türkiye's (and Azerbaijan's) brazen support of Islamabad, at a time when the latter's conflict with New Delhi escalated, in the wake of Operation Sindoor, which India clarified had been a measured response for the terrifying Pahalgam attack of April 22. 

As a result, the Indian government on Thursday revoked Çelebi's security clearance, citing “national security" concerns.

In a private filing on May 16, Çelebi asked the Delhi High Court to set aside the revocation, arguing that it would impact 3,791 jobs and investor confidence, and was issued without any warning to the company, the Reuters report added.

"Mere rhetoric of national security without elaborating upon in what manner is an entity a threat to national security is unsustainable in law," the company stated in the filing.

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The order "fails to disclose any specific or substantive reason except for a vague and general reference to 'national security' ... [it] provides no reasons or justification," the filing added.

The case is likely to be heard on May 19.

Çelebi has also stated that although its shareholders were indeed registered in Turkey, "majority end control" of the group was held by companies that were not of Turkish origin. The company's website simply mentions that it was “privately-owned”—the first of its kind in Türkiye.

The handling firm also claims to have undergone background checks and security verifications by various national security and intelligence agencies in India before starting work, having served airports in New Delhi, Kerala, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Goa, so far.

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