Turkish company Celebi has filed a case against the Modi government for revoking its security clearance.
According to a global news agency, Turkish company Çelebi, which provides airport ‘ground handling’ services in India, has reached the Delhi High Court.
The company has taken the position that the Indian government has revoked the security clearance due to vague national security concerns, but no explanation has been given.
The petition has said that we should be told how our company suddenly became a threat to national security, which is legally unacceptable.
Revocation of Security Clearance of Celebi, Turkish company operating ground handling services at Indian Airports.
We have received requests from across India to ban Celebi NAS Airport Services India Ltd, a Turkish company operating ground handling services at Indian airports.… pic.twitter.com/FGpuLuHBbh
— Murlidhar Mohol (@mohol_murlidhar) May 15, 2025
The Celebi company also said that although our shareholders are registered in Turkey, the controlling ownership of the company is with entities outside Turkey.
The application submitted to the court further stated that this decision was taken suddenly and without any prior notice, which is likely to make 3,791 employees unemployed and shake the confidence of foreign investors.
A spokesperson for the Celebi company said that we are providing ground handling services in New Delhi, Kerala, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Goa and started work for this after verification and all necessary approvals from Indian intelligence and security agencies.
It should be noted that the Modi government’s move to remove the security clearance of the Chelebi company has come at a time when Turkey has supported Pakistan in its war with India, which has angered the Indian public.
The hearing of the case is likely to be held on Monday. So far, the Indian government has not made any official response to the case filed by the company.
However, India’s Deputy Aviation Minister Muralidhar Mohol said on X (formerly Twitter) that demands to ban Chelebi were received from across the country and the government took these demands seriously in the national interest.
This same week, the Shiv Sena party in Mumbai, an ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, protested against Chelebi and demanded that the Mumbai airport terminate its contract.
On Thursday night, Delhi Airport also announced that it had formally terminated its partnership with Chelebi in ground handling and cargo operations.
According to Reuters, Air India has also asked authorities to block IndiGo’s deal with Turkish airline IndiGo because Turkey’s support for Pakistan has raised security concerns.
