Delhi HC to deliver verdict on Turkish firm Celebi's plea against security clearance revocation
Justice Sachin Datta had reserved the order on May 23 after hearing extensive arguments from Celebi Airport Services India Pvt. Ltd., Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India Pvt. Ltd., and the Union Government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
The case revolves around the aviation regulator BCAS's decision to cancel Celebi's security clearance, which has had a cascading effect on the company's operations across Indian airports, leading to the termination of its contracts with major airport operators, including DIAL, MIAL, and Adani.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Celebi, strongly contested the government's move, terming it arbitrary and in violation of due process. He argued that Rule 12 of the Aircraft Rules, 2013, which governs such matters, is binding unless expressly overridden by Parliament.
Rohatgi contended that the government failed to follow basic procedural norms--no prior notice was issued, no hearing was conducted, and no reasons were recorded before revoking the clearance. 'The revocation has destroyed our business. Our contracts were contingent on that clearance,' he told the court.
He emphasised that while the government has powers to issue directions, those powers do not extend to cancelling or revoking security clearances without adhering to statutory safeguards. Rohatgi also clarified that despite Turkish shareholding, Celebi's workforce is entirely Indian and has no political affiliations.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta defended the revocation, citing national security as paramount. Calling the matter 'sui generis,' Mehta emphasised that the government has plenary powers in matters of national and airport security. He pointed out that Celebi handles sensitive data and has access to critical zones in airports, making rigorous security vetting essential.
Mehta disclosed that intelligence inputs raised red flags about Celebi's operations, especially in areas involving passenger and cargo handling. He said such information, being classified, could not be fully shared in court. 'Certain decisions in the interest of national security cannot be disclosed without risking greater harm,' he argued. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Reuters X account restored in India after suspension over legal demand
NEW DELHI -The Reuters News account on X was restored in India on Sunday, a day after the social media platform suspended it, citing a legal demand. Reuters X account restored in India after suspension over legal demand "At this time, we are no longer withholding access in INDIA to your account," X said in an email to the Reuters social media team, without elaborating. Representatives for X, Reuters and the Indian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the restoration of the account. Earlier on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Indian government's Press Information Bureau told Reuters that no Indian government agency had required withholding the Reuters handle, adding that officials were working with X to resolve the problem. A Reuters spokesperson had said the agency was working with X to resolve this matter and get the Reuters account reinstated in India as soon as possible. Reuters World, another X account operated by the news agency which was blocked in India, was also restored late Sunday night. The main Reuters account, which has more than 25 million followers globally, had been blocked in India since Saturday night. A notice told X users that "@Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand". In an email to the Reuters social media team on May 16, X said: "It is our policy to notify account holders if we receive a legal request from an authorized entity to remove content from their account." "In order to comply with X obligations under India's local laws, we have withheld your X account in India under the country's Information Technology Act, 2000; the content remains available elsewhere". Reuters could not ascertain if the May 16 email was linked to Saturday's account suspension nor could it determine what specific content the demand referred to, why its removal was sought or the entity that had lodged the complaint. While the email did not specify which entity had made the request or what content they sought to remove, it said X had been advised that in such cases, a user could contact the secretary of India's Information and Broadcasting Ministry. The secretary, Sanjay Jaju, did not respond to requests seeking comment. The 2000 law allows designated government officials to demand the takedown of content from social media platforms they deem to violate local laws, including on the grounds of national security or if a post threatens public order. X has long been at odds with India's government over content-removal requests. In March, the company sued the federal government over a new government website the company says expands takedown powers to "countless" government officials. The case is continuing. India has said X wrongly labelled an official website a "censorship portal", as the website only allows tech companies to be notified about harmful online content. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
After govt steps in, X unblocks Reuters' handles
Denying any government order to X (previously Twitter) to withhold Reuters' account, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology was learnt to have directed the social media company to unblock two accounts of the international news agency on Sunday. Hours later, the Reuters accounts were restored. On Saturday night, X blocked the handles of Reuters and Reuters World, with a message displayed on their accounts stating they had been withheld in India 'in response to a legal demand'. But in a statement on Sunday morning, an official spokesperson of the IT Ministry said, 'There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold Reuters handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem.' A senior official said the government had sent blocking orders to X related to some posts made by the news agency during Operation Sindoor in early May, but the platform, at the time, had not taken any action on the posts. 'When they blocked two accounts of Reuters on Saturday night, it caught us by surprise, because we had never asked X to block the accounts. Some takedown requests were made to X for posts made by Reuters during Operation Sindoor on May 7-8, but those posts were never taken down,' the official said. 'But now they turn around and block the accounts when no such demand was made, which we have been informally informed was an erroneous understanding of our previous orders. We have communicated with them verbally and also sent them a written order, asking to reverse course and unblock the accounts. There is no intent to block legitimate news platforms in India,' the official said. X did not respond to queries on the issue. 'We are working with X to resolve this matter and get Reuters account reinstated in India as soon as possible,' a Reuters spokesperson said earlier in the day. During Operation Sindoor, the Indian government had directed social media platforms like X to block several pieces of content and accounts that it felt were spreading deliberate misinformation and posting information that could subvert and undermine the Armed Forces' ongoing operations at the time. While it had blocked a range of accounts it believed were linked to Pakistan and China, it had also directed blocking the X accounts of news platforms BBC Urdu and Outlook India, which was later revoked. Earlier, in a statement on May 9, X had said that it had received executive orders from the Indian government asking for over 8,000 accounts to be blocked, including those belonging to 'international news organisations and prominent X users'. The social media platform said that falling foul of the executive orders could subject it to potential penalties, including significant fines and imprisonment of its local employees. The Indian Express had reported that following a flurry of what it called 'misinformation' on social media platforms related to Operation Sindoor, a small team at the IT Ministry — which was set up last year during the Lok Sabha polls to flag and take down election-related misinformation on social media platforms — received reinforcement of personnel and was asked to step up monitoring and flag misleading content related to the conflict to be taken down. The monitoring happened round-the-clock, with people working across shifts.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Samosa for 5 paise, BEST bus 5: CJI on nostalgic trip at Girgaum school
Mumbai: Supreme Court Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Gavai on Sunday visited Chikitsak Samuh High School, Girgaum where he studied from classes 3 to 7, between 1969 and 1973, in Marathi medium. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The CJI praised his teachers for shaping him, crediting the debating skills he honed there and values of equality and social benevolence inculcated in students for his rise to the topmost post in the Indian judiciary. Walking down memory lane, the CJI shared nostalgic moments. "Mother would give me 20 paise. I would walk towards Mantralaya to catch BEST bus 5 to Gaiwadi and walk some more to school The bus ticket cost 5 paise. In those days, a samosa patti would cost 5 paise with home-made jam, and misal pavcost 10 paise." The school was then surrounded by chawls. "...The chawls are still visible from the school. The Marathi sanskriti is still intact here. This is part of the real 'amchi Mumbai'," he said in Marathi to a gathering of his former batchmates, teachers, and current school students, some of whom, as part of NCC, practised hard to form a band within six months to welcome him. "Of all welcomes I received so far across India and even abroad as CJI, the little children's performance today as a band was the warmest," Justice Gavai gushed. "I was interested in debates. My journey in public speaking began on this stage. Also, PT class by Joshi sir induced the necessary discipline in us as students. Studying in Marathi medium was not a handicap; it grounded me," he added. Chikitsak is now an English medium ICSE school as well. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The CJI, who is due to retire in November, met his classmates who finished 10th in 1976. He met old school staff and, most of all, remembered one teacher whose signature on his school leaving certificate was the memento he was presented with. He advised young students to work hard, be honest. The three-storey school building in Sadashiv Cross Lane has no lifts. On Sunday, local MLA and minister, MP Lodha, who was also present, promised to help with paperwork to install one.
