The UK government has said that some Gurkhas lack strong ties with the country [EPA]

To the sound of bagpipes, they carried a portrait of Queen Elizabeth and waved Union Jack flags and banners demanding 'Justice and Equality' as they gathered on Tuesday with hundreds of supporters.

The famed regiment of Nepalese soldiers has fought for Britain since 1815, most recently in Iraq, Afghanistan and the former Yugoslavia.

The soldiers, first recruited by colonial rulers in India in the 19th century as a "martial race" known for their bravery, have mounted a challenge against a ruling that means those who retired before 1997 have no automatic right to live in Britain.

Edward Fitzgerald, the lawyer representing five retired Gurkhas and the widow of a sixth, said four of the soldiers were barred from entering Britain because their headquarters were in Hong Kong and that they lacked strong ties with this country.

"To say this is to ignore the history of the Gurkhas. And it is to ignore the special debt this country owes to all Gurkhas, past and present, whatever their brigade's location, and whatever their date of discharge," Fitzgerald told the court.

All other foreign soldiers in the British army can settle in Britain after four years' of service anywhere in the world.

About 2,000 Gurkhas are affected by the current rules.

The hearing is expected to last two days, although the result is unlikely to be announced for several weeks.

The Gurkhas have also struggled for years for equal pension rights which, for those who retired before 1997, are about a quarter of the amount paid to those who served after that time.

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