Peter Dutton is seeking to appeal in the high court a federal court ruling relating to dozens of medical transfers of asylum seekers and refugees.

The government argued the federal court had no jurisdiction to hear cases brought on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers in offshore centres on Manus Island and Nauru, who were seeking urgent medical transfer to Australia.

The government’s suit was in response to more than 50 individual cases brought on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers offshore, of which the majority remain before the federal court as ongoing legal matters, said George Newhouse, chief executive of the National Justice Project.

The cases were brought by lawyers attempting to expedite medical transfers of sick refugees and asylum seekers to Australia from Nauru and Manus Island. Among the many court cases, dozens resulted in court orders, while others had the government agree – either during the hearing or prior to the case commencing – to transfer them as requested.

The four test cases at the centre of this dispute are represented by the National Justice Project and Maurice Blackburn lawyers.

Before the federal court, the government argued the high court was the only court which could hear cases against the commonwealth relating to a “transitory person” – someone sent offshore for processing – but in late August the full bench of the federal court found against the government.

On Friday, the government confirmed it has applied to the high court for special leave to appeal the four cases which “relate to the correct jurisdiction in which medical transfer proceedings should be commenced”.

“These proceedings will not impact the transfer of individuals for medical treatment,” the spokesman said, adding that they would not comment further as the matter was now once again before the court.

Newhouse accused Dutton and the government of “trying to evade its legal obligations to hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers by making it harder for them to access justice in Australia”.

In recent weeks Dutton has decried the expense of asylum seekers appealing their cases through Australia’s court system, most notably in relation to the Tamil family who face deportation back to Sri Lanka after living in Biloela for some years.

In October Guardian Australia reported the government had spent almost half a million dollars on external legal fees in a three-month period, responding to legal action over sick people on Nauru who were seeking emergency medical transfer to Australia.

Newhouse said the case was of particular importance given the government was attempting to repeal the medevac laws which now legislate a more expeditious process for transferring sick people to Australia.

Previous analyses have shown that under the old system, the government was often ignoring the advice of its own health providers, and delaying the transfers of some individuals for as long as five years after it was first recommended.

Should medevac be repealed, lawyers intend to launch compensation claims for those still in Manus Island and Nauru, Fairfax reported earlier this month.