Actor Celina Jaitly's brother, Major (retired) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly – detained in the UAE since 2024 – does not wish to interact with her, the Foreign Ministry told the Delhi High Court Thursday.
This was in response to the court's previous direction to the ministry for establishing communications between Vikrant and Celina Jaitly after the sister claimed her brother had been "illegally abducted and detained" in the UAE.
Today the court directed the ministry to hand over Celina's petition to her brother at the next consular meeting, which is on February 13. In this regard the court also heard from Vikrant Jaitly's wife, Charul Jaitly, who reiterated claims of a strained relationship between her husband and his sister, actor Celina Jaitly.
Charul Jaitly sought a media gag saying her marriage had been turned into a "public spectacle" as a result of Celina Jaitly's petition. The court refused to grant the gag, noting that this is not a family dispute but about the detention of a retired Major.
After being told the brother does not wish to interact with the sister, the court urged both sides to "work in tandem". "The court has also heard the petitioner and Vikrant's wife in order to facilitate best legal assistance… the court requests both to re-establish relations…"
Meanwhile, the single-judge bench of Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav was informed the Foreign Ministry had already requested consular access and issued a letter authorising an Emirati law firm to represent him in this matter.
The court then directed the centre to inform Vikrant Jaitly about the appointed law firm, noting that if the Major was unwilling to work with this firm he could suggest an alternate.
Should he be willing, the court continued, a Power of Attorney document could be signed.
The court also recorded a statement by Charul Jaitly – that she had met her husband, who is in a UAE jail, and that he was opposed to working with the law firm suggested by his sister, Celina.
Charul Jaitly said her husband preferred to work with the firm appointed by the government.
She claimed Celina Jaitly had approached the Delhi High Court without her consent and asserted that the right to appoint a lawyer for her husband rested solely with her.
"In the meantime," the court dictated, "… takes on record the fact that the Embassy (in the UAE) sought consular access to Vikrant on February 13. Depending on the next consular access, subject to UAE (laws), let embassy officials apprise Vikrant regarding engagement of law firm."
"If Vikrant consents, then let the necessary formalities be undertaken with expedition."
"(If) Vikrant is not willing… then he will have to take another legal recourse. The legal assistance will depend on Jaitly, who is in detention. His wife is here and that is enough to close the matter. Nothing to show she is not working in tandem with Vikrant," the court declared.
However, Charul Jaitly told the court she is "the only authorised person to engage a lawyer", to which the court asked her counsel for a sealed note and listed the next hearing for February 17.
