The Delhi High Court closed actor Celina Jaitly’s petition after her brother Vikrant Jaitly, detained in the UAE, stated he does not wish to communicate with her. The Court recorded his stance and directed authorities to continue providing legal assistance to him.
The Delhi High Court on Monday closed a petition filed by Bollywood actor Celina Jaitly after her brother Vikrant Kumar Jaitly informed authorities that he does not wish to communicate with her and that decisions about his legal matters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will not depend on her wishes.
The matter was heard by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav of the Delhi High Court, who took note of Vikrant Jaitly’s statements during a consular access visit arranged by Indian authorities.
The petition had been filed by Celina Jaitly seeking directions to the Ministry of External Affairs to facilitate communication between her and her brother, who has been detained in the UAE for more than a year.
During the hearing, Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Central government, submitted a sealed report before the Court. The report had been prepared by the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi following a consular visit to Vikrant Jaitly.
According to the report, Vikrant Jaitly clearly stated that he does not want to communicate with his sister and prefers to take decisions regarding his legal matters only in consultation with his wife.
The Court recorded his position in the order and noted that,
“It has come on record that Jaitly [Vikrant] is not willing to enter into any communication with the petitioner [Celina],”
the Court noted.
The Court further observed that Vikrant Jaitly had repeatedly said that decisions relating to his legal situation would not depend on the wishes or involvement of Celina Jaitly.
Vikrant Kumar Jaitly has reportedly been detained in the UAE for more than one year. He previously served in the Indian Army and was also part of a United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Lebanon during his military service.
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According to the petition filed by Celina Jaitly, Major Vikrant Jaitly had been working with a consultancy firm in the UAE when he was allegedly abducted from a shopping mall in the presence of his wife.
After learning about the incident, Celina Jaitly filed a complaint through the Union government’s MADAD Portal, which is used to address grievances of Indians living abroad.
However, she alleged in her petition that she did not receive any updates after filing the complaint. She further claimed that she tried contacting the Indian Embassy in the UAE and the Consulate in Dubai, but did not get a satisfactory response. Because of this, she approached the Delhi High Court seeking judicial directions.
During the course of the proceedings, the Court directed authorities to ascertain Vikrant Jaitly’s views on the issue.
Once his position was placed on record through the consular report, the Court decided to close the case.
The Court also recorded that Vikrant Jaitly had refused free legal assistance offered to him by a law firm in the UAE.
“The court directed the officers to bring to the notice of Jaitly that Khalid Almari law firm is willing to provide pro bono legal assistance to him. Even the said request has not been acceded to by Jaitly,”
the Court stated.
At the same time, the Court noted that Celina Jaitly’s request to maintain regular contact with her brother had already been addressed by the Indian diplomatic authorities in the UAE.
The Court further directed that the concerned central government authorities should continue to remain in contact with Vikrant Jaitly and provide him with any legal assistance that is available under the law.
“In view of the facts and developments, there is no reason to keep this petition pending, disposed of,”
the order said.
Accordingly, the Delhi High Court disposed of the petition while directing the government to remain in touch with Vikrant Jaitly and extend any legal help that may be permissible.
Celina Jaitly was represented in the case by advocates Sandeep Kapur, Niharika Karanjawala Misra, Rytim Vohra Ahuja, and Srishti Aggarwal from Karanjawala & Co., along with Raghav Kacker from Kacker & Co..
On behalf of the Union government and the MEA, Nidhi Raman, Arnav Mittal, and advocate Akash Mishra appeared before the Court.
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