Gurkhas denied right to settle in U.K. win right to appeal

London, July 16 (PTI) Former Gurkha soldiers who have accused the British government of racial discrimination have won the right to challenge in the High Court the decision to deny them permission to settle in the country.

The ruling by Justice Sullivan last evening affected over 2,000 persons who can now apply for a judicial review of a government order which said Gurkhas who retired from the British Army before July 1, 1997 are not entitled to settle in Britain.

The Gurkhas' legal team said that foreign soldiers would normally be eligible to settle in the U.K. after completing four years' service anywhere in the world.

The judge said that "an authoritative decision of this court as to whether or not the policy is unlawful" will be made by the end of September 2008.

A hearing will be held for two days from September 16, with submissions on behalf of the Gurkhas and the Home Department.

The lawyers said Gurkhas who retired before the British Army moved its main base for the regiment from Hong Kong to the U.K. in July 1997 "continue to be denied the opportunity to obtain settlement on the same basis as foreign soldiers discharged in the same period".

This amounted to "unlawful discrimination", they said.
Some veterans have died waiting for immigration appeals while
others are seriously ill.

Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg has written to Prime
Minister Gordon Brown urging him to grant citizenship to the
war veterans.