Delhi High Court Dismisses Turkish Firm Celebi’s Plea Against Security Clearance Revocation

The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a petition by the Turkey-based ground-handling firm Celebi Aviation challenging the central government’s decision to revoke its security clearance at Indian airports. The government had cited national security concerns for its move, which came in the wake of Turkey’s support for Pakistan after India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’.

Justice Sachin Datta delivered the verdict, upholding the government’s action and dealing a major blow to the company, which handles a significant portion of ground operations at major airports, including about 70% at the Mumbai airport.

The security clearance for Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd (CASIPL) was revoked by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on May 15. In its order, the government had cited “national security” as the reason, a decision that followed public calls to ban Turkish businesses after Ankara sided with Islamabad during the recent India-Pakistan conflict.

Celebi had challenged the revocation in the High Court, calling the move arbitrary and based on “vague” national security concerns. In its plea, the company argued that the order was passed without any prior notice or substantive reasoning. “Mere rhetoric of national security without elaborating upon in what manner is an entity a threat… is unsustainable in law,” the company had stated, warning that the decision would impact nearly 3,800 jobs and disrupt essential airport services.

The government, however, defended its decision, telling the court that the move was based on sensitive intelligence inputs that pointed to an “unprecedented” threat to aviation security from the company’s continued operations.

The controversy has also been fueled by allegations circulating on social media linking the company’s ownership to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s daughter, Sümeyye Erdoğan, whose husband produces the Bayraktar military drones used by Pakistan. Celebi Aviation has officially denied these claims, stating it is a globally operated company with a majority of its ownership held by international institutional investors and has no political affiliations.

Following the initial revocation in May, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, had posted on X that the government had taken cognizance of requests from across India to ban the company. “Recognising the seriousness of the issue and the call to protect national interests… Ministry of Civil Aviation has revoked security clearance of the said company. Ensuring the safety and interests of the nation remains our top priority,” the minister had said