About 70 Shere Khan restaurant employees (Manchester-based), holding valid work permits, suffered historic injustice from the Home Office when they were made the target of Operation Chalice in 2007 for alleged illegal working. This led to their detention, non-appealable revocation of their work permits,  and subsequent unemployment, with devastating financial and personal losses for themselves and their families.

These individuals, despite working legally in the UK, were accused of illegal breaches through working in different Shere Khan branches by Merseyside Police and the Home Office raided Shere Khan’s venues in Manchester. They endured wrongful deprivation of their right to residence and to work and provide for their families. 

They were all issued with Section 10 removal notices until in a group High Court challenge by Judicial Review in 2008, Mr Justice Charles  determined that they all had outstanding rights of appeal, wrongly denied by the Home Office.  The High Court remitted the matter back to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal.^[1] However all the remaining section 10 notices were then suddenly withdrawn by the UKBA on 26^th June 2009, the day before the tribunal hearing, leaving all the appellants in total limbo as to their status. Nearly all of them have eventually been regularised since then, but mostly with new periods of leave after making fresh applications (often refused and appealed).

Different levels of judges, including in the Court of Appeal have constantly urged the Home Office to avoid inconsistency and exercise equitable discretion to the former Shere Khan employees.

The employers, Shere Khan never faced any penalty/action, and were eventually cleared. All of their affected employees in Operation Chalice were forced to rely on charity and friends just to survive.

The Home Office eventually withdrew its case in 2008, but without restoring and reinstating the work permits and the employees periods of leave.  Moreover, no apology or compensation was provided to these workers for the immense personal and financial damage they have suffered. Over a decade later, many are still struggling with the lasting impacts of these false allegations, having lost not only their jobs but also their dignity, security, and livelihoods, as well as those of their family.

Why They Need Your Help

Six of the former employees want to take representative action and seek justice and fair compensation for the irreparable suffering and damage that they and their families have endured. However, they lack the financial means to fight this legal battle on their own.

They are asking for your help to raise £5000 to cover the initial legal costs of making a legal start to their case for compensation.

Why It Matters

These individuals lost their livelihoods, reputations, and years of their lives to a system that wrongfully targeted them. Justice was never properly rendered and like the Post Office scandal and Windrush, they need the opportunity to have restitution.

By supporting this cause, you will help the Shere Khan individuals get the justice and compensation they deserve after years of suffering.

They are represented by Mrs. Usha Sood, an experienced and compassionate legal barrister who represented them in the group Judicial Review in 2008 and has taken on some of their cases.

She regularly and successfully fights for the rights of those wronged by wrongful executive actions.

How You Can Help

Every donation, no matter how small, will bring us one step closer to righting the wrongs done to these innocent workers. Please donate and help us raise the £5,000 initially needed to start the legal process for compensation.

Thank you for your support and for helping us ensure that justice is finally served.

[1] reported as Jabbar & Ors, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2008] EWHC 3210 (Admin)