Turkish aviation firm's plea against security clearance revocation dismissed
Celebi, part of Turkey's Celebi group, has been operating in India's aviation sector for over 15 years and employs more than 10,000 people across nine airports. The security clearance now withdrawn had been granted as recently as November 2022.The Central government's counsel defended the revocation, arguing there was an "unprecedented threat" to aviation security that justified immediate action. In an affidavit filed on May 19, the Centre said the clearance was withdrawn based on specific inputs that continuing Celebi's services would pose risks under the current circumstances.Appearing for the company, Celebi's counsel argued that the government's move violated principles of natural justice and the procedure laid down under the Aircraft Security Rules. He contended that the Director General of BCAS should have issued a notice, provided an opportunity for a hearing, and recorded reasons before taking such an extreme step.The government, however, maintained that the security clearance was revoked "with immediate effect in the interest of national security". The aviation ministry and junior aviation minister Murlidhar Mohol also defended the decision, citing public demands to ban Celebi due to Turkey's stance on Pakistan.With the High Court's dismissal, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security's revocation order stands, directly impacting Celebi's operations in India. The detailed judgment will be uploaded shortly.- Ends
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Hindustan Times
29 minutes ago
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PM Modi addressed the parliament, emphasising the connection between the history, democracy, and people of the two nations. The visit to Argentina was PM Modi's second visit to the country. He was there earlier in 2018 for the G20 summit. Its significance lay in a series of indications given earlier that Argentina was keen to deepen cooperation with India. Information technology, digital healthcare, and energy cooperation emerged as having significant potential. Argentina holds the world's second-largest shale gas reserves and the largest shale oil reserves, besides substantial conventional oil and gas deposits. While bilateral trade has been on a stable trajectory, the two sides needed to work on the diversification of the trade basket. The two governments also discussed the expansion of the India-MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement. As a journalist put it, this visit was to the land of 'minerals and Maradona.' Modi noted in his departure statement, 'Argentina is a key economic partner in Latin America and a close collaborator in the G20.' The stay in Brazil was the pièce de résistance, imbued with immense significance, both from the perspective of BRICS and bilateral India-Brazil relations. In the absence of the presidents of China and Russia, media attention concentrated on the three leaders of the Global South at the BRICS summit – Brazil, India, and South Africa, as well as the president of the newly admitted member, Indonesia. Concerning the highlights of the summit's outcome, three points are notable. One, the summit produced a detailed declaration reflecting consensus on key issues of the reform of global governance institutions, peace and security, economic cooperation, and the climate crisis. It demonstrated that, despite its internal divergences, BRICS is more united than the G7 today. Two, BRICS has emerged as the most visible platform for projecting the needs and concerns of the Global South. Three, Brazil as the present chair and India as the next chair, were working closely to guide this grouping to attain new heights. PM Modi's State visit to Brazil was an honour for India. He visited Brazil earlier on three occasions in 2014, 2019, and 2024. The dialogue on this occasion with the Brazilian leadership focused on expanding bilateral partnership, covering trade and investment, agriculture, health, space, defense, and people-to-people relations. There was a joint decision to increase bilateral trade from the present level of $12 billion to $ 20 billion in the immediate future. The list of six bilateral agreements signed on terrorism and renewable energy, among others, was indicative of the areas where greater attention would be paid. A ministerial mechanism was set up for monitoring cooperation in trade, commerce, and investment. The joint statement entitled 'India and Brazil: Two Great Nations with Higher Purposes' revealed the full contours of a special transcontinental partnership. A one-day sojourn in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, was the cherry on the cake. It revealed India's serious interest in an important, friendly nation in Southern Africa. It enabled Modi to hold an in-depth dialogue with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who took office in March. Their discussion would certainly mould what the two governments do in the future to expand and diversify economic and development cooperation, as well as cooperation in information technology and the defense domain. As a resource-rich country, Namibia is of interest to industries that need critical minerals. The visit resulted in two agreements and three announcements, including on Namibia joining the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the Global Biofuels Alliance. During the entire tour, PM Modi received four highest civilian honours. He delivered addresses at three different parliaments. He enunciated India's perspective on terrorism and several other issues of global and regional importance. In addition, at least three takeaways may be mentioned here. First, India's diplomacy has been moving in high gear in a fast, robust, but pragmatic manner. Developing countries perceive India as a natural partner, given its rising economy, technological progress, political stability, and charismatic leadership. Second, India is no longer relying on advancing large credits to its external partners. Instead, the focus now is on sharing proven experience and expertise in specific areas where the Indian development model has achieved success. Third, despite geopolitical conflicts and tensions, New Delhi remains confident of its ability to manage contradictions and balance its relationships with the North and the South. It sees no contradictions in India's membership of BRICS and Quad, and its presence as a regular guest at the G7. The government remains determined to dialogue with different groupings in the quest for finding an acceptable solution to global challenges, while promoting India's national interest. In the end, the results of PM's ambitious tour would be measured by the ability of India and its interlocutors to ensure optimal implementation of the agreements signed and the understandings reached. A positive impression has been created all around, and now it is time to carry the decisions to their logical conclusion. This article is authored by Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Gateway House and former Indian ambassador.
