HLE -v- Secretary of State for the Home Department and others (anonymity order)

Administrative CourtHigh CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity Order

Claim number: AC-2026-LON-000557

In the High Court of Justice
King’s Bench Division
Administrative Court

Notification of Judge’s Decision (CPR 54.11, 54.12)

7 April 2026

Before:

The Hon. Ms Justice Obi

Between:

HLE

-and-

Secretary of State for the Home Department

-and-

HLW
HIL
HLS
HYW
HNK
HIN

Order

  1. Permission to apply for judicial review: Permission is granted on all grounds.
  1. Anonymity:

    (a) Pursuant to CPR 39.2(4) and/or the Court’s inherent jurisdiction and/or s. 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998:

    i. the Claimant’s name is to be withheld from the public and must not be disclosed in any proceedings in public; and

    ii. the Claimant is to be referred to orally and in writing as HLE and the Interested Parties as HLW, HIL, HLS, HYW, HNK and HIN.

    (b) Pursuant to s. 11 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981, there must be no publication of the identity of the Claimant, or the Interested Parties or of any matter likely to lead to the identification of the Claimant or Interested Parties in any report of, or otherwise in connection with, these proceedings.

    (c) Pursuant to CPR 5.4C(4):

    i. the parties must within 7 days file a redacted copy of any statement of case filed, omitting the name, address and any other information likely to lead to the identification of the Claimant or Interested Parties;

    ii. if any statement of case subsequently filed includes information likely to lead to the identification of the Claimant or Interested Parties, a redacted copy omitting that information must be filed at the same time;

    iii. unless the Court grants permission under CPR 5.4C(6), no non-party many obtain a copy of any unredacted statement of case

    (d) Any person wishing to vary or discharge this Order must make an application, served on each party.
  1. Expedition: The hearing of the claim is expedited. The hearing is to be listed on the earliest date from 8 May 2026, subject to court listing
  1. Case Management Directions:

    (a) The Defendant must, by 17 April 2026, file and serve (i) Detailed Grounds for contesting the claim or supporting it on additional grounds and (ii) any written evidence to be relied on.

    (b) The Defendant may comply with sub-paragraph (a)(i) above by filing and serving a document which states that its Summary Grounds are to stand as the Detailed Grounds required by CPR 54.14.

    (c) Any application by the Claimant to serve evidence in reply must be filed and served, together with a copy of that evidence, by 24 April 2026.

    (d) The parties must agree the contents of the hearing bundle. An electronic version of the bundle must be prepared and lodged, in accordance with the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide Chapter 21 and the Guidance on the Administrative Court website, by 27 April 2026. The parties must, if requested by the Court, lodge 2 hard-copy versions of the hearing bundle.

    (e) The Claimant must file and serve a Skeleton Argument (maximum 25 pages), complying with CPR 54 PD para. 15 and the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide paras 20.1 to 20.3, not less than 7 days before the date of the substantive hearing.

    (f) The Defendant must file and serve a Skeleton Argument (maximum 25 pages), complying with CPR 54 PD para. 15 and the Administrative Court Judicial Review Guide paras 20.1 to 20.3, not less than 3 days before the date of the substantive hearing.

    (g) The parties must agree the contents of a bundle containing the authorities to be referred to at the hearing. An electronic version of the bundle must be prepared in accordance with the Guidance on the Administrative Court website. The parties must, if requested by the Court, prepare a hard-copy version of the authorities bundle. The electronic version of the bundle and if requested, the hard copy version of the bundle, must be lodged with the Court not less than 3 days before the date of the substantive hearing.

    (h) The time estimate for the substantive hearing is 1 day. If either party considers that this time estimate should be varied, they must inform the court as soon as possible.

    (i) CPR 2.11 (variation of timetable by written agreement between the parties) does not apply.

Observations and reasons

i. The Claimant and his minor children live in Kabul, where there is ongoing armed conflict including bombings and drone attacks near their home, evidenced by videos and messages sent on 26 February, 2 March, 5 March, 16 March and 27 March 2026 showing explosions and the children in distress. Expert evidence confirms the Claimant is at heightened risk as a former UK-associated worker and is plausibly on Taliban target lists, with a significantly increased risk of detention, harm or execution. Public disclosure of identity would materially increase that risk. Anonymity is therefore necessary and proportionate under CPR 39.2(4) and s.11 Contempt of Court Act 1981 to protect life and ensure the proper administration of justice.

ii. The case has a very long procedural history with repeated delays and a mistakenly issued positive ARAP decision later withdrawn. The Administrative Court has already refused two applications for more time (20 March 2026), confirming that further delay is unjustified.

iii. The claim is arguable and the combination of acute current risk, historic delay, and the need for timely judicial scrutiny warrants an expedited timetable.