NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the government of India to arrange consular access to actor Celina Jaitly’s brother, Major Vikrant Jaitly (retd), detained in the UAE for more than a year.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav, however, said any further legal recourse in the matter would depend on the detainee’s opinion, after noting that he had refused to engage a law firm suggested by his sister.
The judge passed the directions of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) while hearing a petition by the actor seeking effective legal representation for her brother, claiming that he had been “illegally abducted and detained” in the UAE since September 6, 2024. Vikrant Jaitly, a former Indian Army officer, had moved to Dubai after retirement and co-founded a company with his wife, Charul Jaitly.
The government counsel informed the court that the Indian authorities were in regular contact with Vikrant Jaitly, claiming that he had refused to interact with his sister.
He submitted that the authorities had requested an interaction with the detainee on February 13 and added that his wife was authorised to take decisions on his behalf. The petition claimed that Vikrant had been residing in the UAE since 2016 and was employed with the MATITI Group, engaged in trading, consultancy, and risk management services.
However, even after one year, the Union Ministry of External Affairs has failed to secure basic information about the actor’s brother, including his welfare conditions and legal status, the plea alleged.
Celina had said earlier that she chose to leave Austria in the middle of the night, knowing that staying back would make it impossible for her to fight for Vikrant. “Knowing that if I don’t leave Austria, I won’t be able to stand up for my brother,” she had said.