‘Would Have Been Hazardous to Let Celebi Continue’: Centre Defends BCAS Action in Delhi High Court

Hazardous to Let Celebi Continue: The Centre's decision to withdraw the security clearance granted to Turkish-based ground-handling Celebi Airport Services came after the government received "inputs" that it would be "hazardous" to allow the company to operate at airports, the union government told the Delhi high court on Monday.

The government’s position was announced during Justice Sachin Datta's hearing on Celebi’s petition challenging the order issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) on May 15.

Çelebi, represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, told the high court that the company had been carrying out operations without any blemish for 17 years and the decision was taken based on a public perception that the company’s shareholding consisted of Turkish nationals.

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Rohatgi said that public perception could not be a ground to take away the employment of 14,000 employees, and Celebi was not a “rogue company.”

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta contested the claim. “The government had inputs, and it was found necessary that it would be hazardous in this scenario in which the country is, to leave this activity in the hands of this company,” Mehta said, handing over a document to the single bench in sealed cover.

Mehta mentioned how disclosing the reasons behind the BCAS order will be counterproductive and detrimental to national interest, sovereignty and security.

After Mehta submitted his statement, justice Datta examined the "inputs" which were submitted to the court in a sealed cover. The court then aked for a further hearing in matter on May 21.

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In its plea, the company claimed that the BCAS decision to cancel its clearance was just a national security reason, without any specific cause, was too "vague" and "unsustainable in law".

Up until last week, Celebi provided ground based & 7 service at 9 airports in India - such as Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Kannur, Chennai, and Goa's MOPA airport.

The petition claimed BCAS’s order failed to disclose how Celebi posed a threat to national security. “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 said in the filing, Reuters reported.

The revocation of the security clearance was prompted by increasing tensions between India and Turkey as a result of diplomatic and military ties with Pakistan. The event caused a scramble at the nine airports where the firm operated, including Delhi and Mumbai, to avoid service disruptions.

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