HC orders daily hearing of paternity case against N D Tiwari

 A youth's paternity suit to declareN D Tiwari as his biological father was ordered to be heard ona day-to-day basis by the Delhi High Court today after theveteran Congress leader refused to settle the issue throughmediation.

"The local commissioner is hereby directed to conduct,preferably, the hearing on a day-to-day basis," JusticeManmohan said.

The direction came after the counsel for the 88-year-oldCongress leader refused to settle the lawsuit out of the courtthrough mediation, saying there was a possibility that themedical evidence was not hundred percent accurate.

"Let this matter go to the mediation centre for settlingit as the medical evidence in the form of DNA report clearlysuggests that the respondent (Tiwari) is the father of thepetitioner (Rohit Shekhar)," Justice Manmohan observed duringthe hearing.

Bahar-u-Barqi, counsel for Tiwari, did not accept thecourt's suggestion and submitted that his client would like tocontest the suit as the scientific proof cannot be held to beconclusive.

"It is almost conclusive and it seems that he does notwant to do it (mediation process)," the court said and askedVimala Maken, a retired additional district judge who had beenappointed as the local commissioner in the case, to proceed onday-to-day basis with the recording of evidence in the matter.

The local commissioner would initiate the proceedingsfrom January 21, the court said.

The court, meanwhile, also directed Tiwari to submitwithin four weeks a demand draft of Rs 46,000 which wasimposed on him as cost during an earlier proceeding.

The high court on July 27 last year had read out the DNAreport in the case as per which Tiwari was shown as Shekhar'sbiological father. .

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