The Delhi High Court has directed the MEA to ensure legal and diplomatic support for actress Celina Jaitly’s brother, Major (Retd.) Vikrant Jaitly, allegedly detained in the UAE. The court also ordered appointment of a nodal officer to update his family on his condition and case.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to make sure that actress Celina Jaitly’s brother, Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly, who is allegedly detained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), gets proper legal help and representation.
Celina Jaitly, who personally attended the court hearing, said in her petition that her brother, a former Indian Army officer, was abducted and kept in detention in the UAE for over a year.
She requested the court to order that he should be given legal aid, medical treatment, and diplomatic support from the Indian government.
Justice Sachin Datta, who heard the matter, directed the Central government to file a detailed status report about the situation and update the court regarding Major Jaitly’s health condition. The court also instructed the government to help his family get in touch with him.
The judge clearly said,
“Depute a nodal office and apprise the family members as regards to the status of the detainee and legal proceedings in UAE. Nodal officer to give updates to the family.”
This means the government must appoint a responsible officer who will stay in touch with Jaitly’s family and provide regular updates on his case and well-being in the UAE.
During the hearing, the lawyer representing Celina Jaitly told the court that the MEA had not provided any details about Major Jaitly’s current situation or his case status in the UAE. However, the lawyer appearing for the Central government said that
“consular access has been granted to him.”
According to the petition, Major Jaitly earlier served in the Indian Army and was part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Later, he started working with a consultancy firm in the UAE. His family claims he was abducted from a shopping mall there while his wife was present.
After learning about the alleged abduction, Celina Jaitly filed a complaint on the government’s ‘MADAD Portal’ (Online Consular Services Management System) seeking help.
She said that no update was given after the complaint was filed. She also reached out to the Indian Embassy in the UAE but did not receive any response.
The Delhi High Court has now asked the Centre to submit a complete report about his detention, his health, and the steps being taken for his legal assistance. The next hearing in the case will take place on December 4.
Advocates Raghav Kacker, Ribhav Pande, Madhav Agarwal, and Aayush Shukla appeared for Celina Jaitly.
On behalf of the Ministry of External Affairs, Central Government Standing Counsel Nidhi Raman and Government Pleader Arnav Mittal represented the Union government in the case.
Case Title:
Celina Jaitly v. Union of India.
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