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HCAL 2639/2025
[2026] HKCFI 406
IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE
HONG KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
CONSTITUTIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE LAW LIST No. 2639 of 2025
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BETWEEN
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Ansari Mohammad Ghulam Mohiuddin |
Applicant |
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and |
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Torture Claims Appeal Board/
Non-refoulement Claims Petition Office |
Putative
Respondent |
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and |
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Director of Immigration |
Putative |
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Interested Party |
Application for Leave to Apply for Judicial Review
NOTIFICATION of the Judge’s decision (Ord. 53 r. 3)
Following;
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consideration of documents only; or |
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consideration of documents and Applicant being absent in open court; |
Order by Deputy High Court Judge K.W. Lung:
Leave to apply for Judicial Review be refused.
Observations for the Applicant:
THE APPLICATION
1.The applicant applies for leave to apply for judicial review of the Decision dated 14 November 2025 of the Torture Claims Appeal Board (“the Board’s Decision”), dismissing the appeal against the Director’s Decision as described below.
2.The applicant did not ask for a hearing.
The applicant
3.The applicant is a national of India. He is an illegal immigrant. He lodged a non-refoulement claim with the Director of Immigration (“the Director”) on the basis that, if refouled, he will be harmed or killed by the family of his girlfriend as they disapproved their relationship. He was attacked in India.
4.Details of his claim are set out in the Board’s Decision. See hyperlink. https://legalref.judiciary.hk/doc/judg/html/vetted/other/en/2025/HCAL002639_2025_files/the_Board's_Decision.pdf
The Director’s Decision
5.The Director considered the applicant’s claim in relation to the following risks:
a. risk of torture under Part VIIC of the Immigration Ordinance, Cap. 115, (“the Ordinance”) (“Torture risk”);
b. risk of violation of the right to life under Article 2 of Section 8 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance, Cap. 383 (“HKBOR”) (“BOR 2 risk”);
c. risk of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (“CIDTP”) under Article 3 of Section 8 of the HKBOR (“BOR 3 risk”); and
d. risk of persecution by reference to the non-refoulement principle under Article 33 of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol (“Refugee Convention”) (“Persecution risk”).
6.By way of Notice of Decision dated 28 August 2025 (“the Director’s Decision”), the Director dismissed the applicant’s claim on all applicable risks because it was unsubstantiated.
The Board’s Decision
7.The applicant appealed the Director’s Decision to the Board. On 31 October 2025, the Board conducted an oral hearing for his appeal. He had given oral evidence and answered the Board’s questions.
8.Having considered the evidence, the Board made the findings below.
(1) There were glaring contradictions between the evidence he gave to the Director and the evidence given to the Board. He was given the opportunity to rectify them. But he was unable to provide any reasonable explanation. His evidence was therefore unreliable and the Board rejected it. [44]-[47]
(2) Even if the alleged facts were accepted, there was no evidence to that his enemies had the intention to ill-treat or kill him. [48]
(3) The risk was a localized risk. There was no evidence that his enemies had the resources or intention to locate him in India. He can therefore relocate to live in other places in India. [49]-[53]
(4) State protection will be available to him. [59]
9.For the reasons above, the Board dismissed his appeal and affirmed the Director’s Decision.
Application for leave to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision
10.The applicant has filed Form 86 dated 28 November 2025 for leave to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision.
11.In support of his application, the applicant has raised the grounds below.
(1) Error of law/misapplication of legal principles in relation to assessment of evidence, credibility, risk of torture, persecution, BOR 2 and BOR 3 risks, the standard of proof and the principles of fairness.
(2) Failure to give proper, adequate or rational reasons.
(3) Failure to consider relevant evidence or alternatively, considered irrelevant materials.
(4) Irrationality/Wednesbury unreasonableness as he was not given a chance to deal with the Board’s concerned issues.
(5) Procedural unfairness as the Board had breached the high standards of fairness.
(6) The Board’s Decision is therefore unlawful.
DISCUSSION
12.The role of this Court is supervisory, meaning that it ensures that the Board complied with the public law requirements in coming to the Board’s Decision on the applicant’s appeal. The Court will not usurp the fact-finding power vested in the Director and the Board. See TK v Michael C Jenkins Esq and Director of Immigration [2013] 1 HKC 526, §40 and Nupur Mst v Director of Immigration [2018] HKCA 524, §14 (1).
13.The Court will bear in mind that the Board’s Decision should be examined with rigorous examination and anxious scrutiny.
14.In Re: Kartini [2019] HKCA 1022, 9 September 2019, the Court of Appeal held:
“13. (1) … …Assessment of evidence and COI materials and risk of harm, state protection and viability of internal relocation are primarily within the province of the Board (and the Director). The court will not intervene by way of judicial review unless there are errors of law or procedural unfairness or irrationality in the decision of the Board.”
15.The applicant’s grounds under paragraph 11 are bare assertions without evidence in support or contrary to the Board’s findings. The Board has specifically stated that it had given him the chance to rectify the contradictions of his evidence. But he was unable to give any reasonable explanation. Bare assertions are not valid to challenge the Board’s Decision[1].
16.The applicant fails to show that he has any realistic prospect of success in his proposed judicial review of the Board’s Decision.
DISPOSITION
17.I refuse to grant leave to the applicant to apply for judicial review of the Board’s Decision. Accordingly, I dismiss his application.
Dated the 28th day of January 2026.
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(Allen LEE)
for Registrar, High Court
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Where leave to apply has been granted, Applicants and their legal advisers are reminded of their obligation to reconsider the merits of their application in the light of the Respondent’s evidence
Notes for the Applicant:
If leave has been granted, the Applicant or the Applicant’s solicitors must:
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a) serve on the respondent and such interested parties as may be directed by the Court the order granting leave and any directions given within 14 days after the leave was granted (Order 53, rule 4A);
b) issue the originating summons within 14 days after the grant of leave and serve it in accordance with Order 53, rule 5; and
c) supply to every other party copies of every affidavit which the Applicant proposes to use at the hearing, including the affidavit in support of the application for leave (Order 53, rule 6(5)).
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Sent to the Applicant
on 28/1/2026
Ansari Mohammad Ghulam Mohiuddin
Applicant’s ref. no:
Nil. |
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Sent to the Putative Respondent / the Putative Respondent’s solicitors / such Putative Interested Parties as may be directed by the Court / the Putative Interested Parties’ solicitors on 28/1/2026
Torture Claims Appeal Board/Non-refoulement Claims Petition Office
Putative Respondent’s ref. no.:
USM 27106
Director of Immigration
Putative Interested Party’s ref. no.: Nil
Department of Justice,
Senior Assistant Law Officer
(Civil Law)
(Civil Litigation Unit 2) |
Form CALL-1
[1] The Court of Appeal in Salim Ahmed alias MD Salim [2020] HKCA 244 held:
“20. … … general assertions or propositions of law cannot assist an appellant when he fails to condescend to the requisite particulars related to the facts of his case: Re Mizan Sikder [2019] HKCA 20 and Ibrahim v Simon Russell [2019] HKCA 1327.” See also Re Haider Khalil [2021] HKCA 223 [16].”
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